Destroying my spirit, Stealing my heart
by Spitfire-Sae
Summary: Set in medival times, sort of BBLoTRStarwars. Voltaires an evil lord, Kai's a king, Johnny's a seductive captain, Tala's a rebel leader, Ozuma's a bounty hunter. Amber's a peasant, Miyami's a princess, Ruin's a sorceress, Skips is skip. R&R plz!
1. Runaway

This story is totally AU, set on another dimension based on Earth called Chyan, plus it's based on Zadien's original fantasy plot. The races of people have various magick and are guarded by sacred spirits.  
  
Summary: Baron Voltaire has a plan to take over the world and make himself immortal by releasing the sacred spirit Black Dranzer. But he isn't powerful enough, nor pure enough to do it. Enter Amber Benson a young woman who has the power to release or destroy, depending on what she chooses. But all her life she's been manipulated by Voltaire, without knowing about it. He will use her to bring forth Black Dranzer, or so he thinks, until she is rescued from his clutches by the rebel leader, Tala. While on the run with the rebels, Tala, Kai and Johnny she falls in love, but will Voltaire come between that romance?  
  
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Disclaimer:   
  
{Spitfire_Sae} I don't own Beyblade.  
  
{Amber} Hold up what's going on? Where's Z.D.?  
  
{Kai}She's borrowing us for her story.  
  
{Amber} *Looks excited* Really, hey I won't be paired with him again will I, cos Zadien has this little thing of putting me with Kai.  
  
{Ruin} Don't pretend you don't enjoy it.  
  
{Amber} Pssh, am I with Kai again.  
  
{Sae}Fraid so, Z.D. says ya hafta stick with him.  
  
{Kai} Che, my worst nightmare come true!  
  
{Amber}Shut up, so let me get this straight, I'm with Kai, again? *Sae nods* Why must you do this to me?!  
  
{Zadien} Because you two make a cute couple. Now be a good girl and get changed! Otherwise I will wipe you from existance.  
  
{Ruin} *sniggers*  
  
{ZD} Don't know what your laughing at, I can do the same to you should you raise a fight about Tala.  
  
{Ruin} *blanches* You wouldn't?  
  
{Tala} I'm guessing she would. Ha! See you can't exist without her.  
  
{Ruin} Look at you Russia, your makers made you into a cyborg!   
  
{Sae} Um, well as you can possibly guess as well as not owning Beyblade, I also don't own Ruin or Amber, they belong to Zadien who will be helping me out on this fic. *Glompies* Thank you!  
  
{Zadien}No probs. Please review!  
  
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Destroying my spirit, stealing my heart.  
  
By Spitfire_Sae  
  
Chapter one: Runaway  
  
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He was running as fast as his legs could carry him, but it wasn't enough. They were gaining, surrounding him, cutting off his only chance of escape. He put on an extra spurt of speed but still it wasn't enough. Nothing was enough. He ducked down a narrow corridor and leaned back against the cold cobble stone wall, panting heavily. How was he supposed to keep running when his lungs were on fire, screaming for air, and the air was catching on his raw throat making it drier and provoking coughing fits.   
  
Spider webs brushed his cheek making him start in the darkness. He despaired of ever escaping yet he had to. If he didn't, then his friends, his people would suffer. Where was Johnny, he wondered frustrated. Johnny, who never left his side, was gone. A small voice reminded him that Johnny had escaped already and was probably far away from this God Forsaken keep. Why hadn't he left when he had the chance? He should have fled his keep when he had the chance, when he had ordered his family to flee.   
  
'Yes, but your family was killed when Biovolt attacked the convoy. You would have died too.', a voice in his mind reminded him.   
  
He screwed his eyes closed as though that would enable him not to hear the tiny voice in his head, telling him everything he had managed to block out the last couple of days. He sighed, if only he had kept up the alliances instead of believing that everyone would come together when the dreaded day came to pass. This wasn't a fairy tale and everyone was out for themselves. Like he should have been.   
  
His only hope now was to escape the keep and find the resistance. They were the only ones intent on uniting together to fight the Baron, all they were waiting for was the one. The one person on this planet who could destroy the dreaded book. With the spirit, Black Dranzer, destroyed the Baron would be reduced to nothing more that a sniveling mound of flesh. With no power he would be mortal in all senses of the word. Truly mortal. A cruel smile twisted his features. It would be interesting to see the great the Baron experience true mortality, but if he had any hope of seeing it he would have to escape the castle. He glanced behind him and noticed the faint warm glow of the torches the Biovolt soldiers were holding. So they had caught up with him and he grinned seeing that their numbers had suddenly decreased. They'd had trouble with the booby-traps. That was good. It meant the odds against him were less stacked. He reached down placing a reassuring hand on the dagger hilts under his cloak.   
  
He listened to the footsteps close in on him but still he didn't strike. He felt a tug on his cloak and he whirled round to attack his assailant, but there was no one there, almost as though the shadows themselves were attacking him. He shook his head.  
  
"Get a grip on yourself, Kai.", he muttered using one of Johnny's favorite phrases.  
  
He waited and watched as the soldiers marched right past his hiding place before he sneaked out and made his way back down the corridor they had just come from. Before he had rounded his first corner a voice rang out.  
  
"He's moving down the corridor you just came form you imbecile's!"  
  
Kai faltered. Expecting to see the owner of the voice then shook himself. The voice was female, and all the soldiers in the Biovolt infantry were men. The women were members of the Sky battalion, because they had better hand eye co-ordination. So what was a woman doing here in this arrest and how come he couldn't see her? He didn't have time to ponder this as men raced down the corridor behind him. He sped up, and before his legs turned to jelly he lunged into another side corridor and immediately regretted it as he saw the flight of stairs ahead of him.   
  
He felt like surrendering right there and then but still the tiny voice urged him on, warning him of what would happen if he turned himself in. He would be putting millions of lives at risk. He jogged slowly up the stairs taking two at a time and sagging as he couldn't get enough oxygen to his tired muscles. He couldn't go on anymore and finally he fell against the stone cold wall. He placed his back against the smooth expanse of the wall and began sliding himself up the stairs again. He stumbled and fell back but instead of his head slamming into the wall and knocking him out cold it fell into nothing.   
  
He sat up and his head snapped round. There was no wall behind him. His shoulders slumped but he couldn't raise enough energy to examine the hole in the wall or even look up. His eyelids felt heavy and began to droop unceremoniously over his eyes, obstructing his view. He began to inch further down the wall to lie on the cold earthen floor, but he didn't care. He just wanted to sleep.   
  
"Kai Hiwatari, wake up!", A crack resounded in the corridor.   
  
  
  
A sharp sting spread through the left side of his cheek, jerking him out of his solitude. His eyes snapped open to find himself staring a something dull and black, but reflected a shine. He stared at it for what seemed like ages, then noticed it stir. He glanced up and followed the black thing, as it began to slim down and curve and suddenly form hands and a athame. He jerked his head back, smacking it on the wall. He let loose a volley of curses and looked up at the figure standing in front of him. More to the point, a figure clad in the dull black materiel, which he now realized was leather, and was a dress. It flowed out like a ball room gown near the bottom but the top clung to the figure's curves and the sleeves were of a thin black see through material which billowed out so that the hole for the hands were five times the size of her slender wrist and there was a train which was five times the length of the arm. The low neckline was trimmed with fur and showed of a nice amount of smooth porcelain skin unmarred by any blemish.   
  
His gaze traveled up her skin to her face, and collided with startling brown eyes. Eyes like he'd never seen before, wide, heavily lashed and he was sure he could see the stars in them. They were watching him, so he shifted his gaze to take in her face. It was slender with a chipped chin and straight narrow nose and high forehead. Her lips were full and painted black, making the skin paler. Her face was framed by tendrils of long raven black hair. The rest of her hair was piled up high on her head, streaked with vibrant blue and red. She smiled gently. Leaning down she pressed her mouth to his and as soon as she did, Kai felt all the pain and exhaustion leave him, to be replaced by renewed strength and courage.  
  
  
  
"Do not give up, you are so close.", she whispered in his ear.   
  
He stared up at her. Her voice was gentle and feminine, not like the voice he had heard earlier. That voice had been cruel and had delighted in his pain. This woman was helping him. He could trust her.   
  
"Come, you must hurry.", She glanced nervously down the corridor at the stairs. There were men just down there, but they weren't coming any closer.   
  
"Why?", he asked.  
  
"I've placed a seal around here, but hurry you must go. I will hold them off."  
  
He struggled to his feet, inside he was struggling in an internal battle of whether to stay and help her or flee and live to fight another day with the resistance. Unfortunately he didn't get to see which side won, as seeing his inner turmoil, the woman smiled and spoke a simple word and suddenly she was gone. No she wasn't, he was. To an entire different part of the castle.   
  
He stared back at the door he hadn't come through. Who the hell was she?, he wondered. A sorceress, there was no doubt about that, but what was she doing in his fortress and how did she get there? He kicked the wall angrily. It would be his fault if she died. All his fault. He pushed away from the wall and began to walk back through the maze of corridors leading to his secret hidey-hole. The one he had hid in all those many times that the castle had been attacked. It led to the forest outside the Castle walls and the forest led to the small village of Dynadale. If he got there he could contact Johnny and join with the resistance. But not if he stayed where he was, worrying about an idiotic sorceress who had....  
  
'Saved you life?'   
  
He sighed, if Johnny was here he'd be telling him to cop himself on, to get on with it. But then again, Johnny only really cared about himself. Although he did go out of his way to protect Kai, but only because that was his duty and because they had been child hood friends and also because Kai was the only real family Johnny ever had. His shoulders slumped as he remembered his best friend. He missed him. Johnny had been captured only weeks before. Kai had despaired of this news when it had been delivered to him. It had taken his mother to calm him down enough for him to order his people to evacuate the fortress. He had stayed on after most of his people had left to hear how his people had fared. Then he had been brought the news that Johnny had escaped and fled to the resistance. He had rejoiced at the news and had prepared to leave. Only then he had heard that his family had perished in an attack by the sky battalion.  
  
  
  
He bunched up his hand into a fist and when he uncurled it, revealed a vibrant yellow flame which illuminated the corridor. His handsome face was made to seem eerie by the strange golden glow emanated by the flame . His two toned blue hair was tinted goldish. He followed the narrow dark corridor until the ceiling started to sink. He had to stoop to get through and after a short time he found himself on his hands and knees as he began to make his way towards his secret spot.   
  
The floor rose and soon the corridor became cramped and he was forced to slither forward. This was ridiculous. He was going to get caught. Every so often his heart hitched as he heard the tramp of feet as the troops searched for him. They were getting closer and if the woman was still helping them then he would have hurry. He grinned triumphantly as he entered the spot in the corridor in which the ceiling and the floor were set nicely apart. The narrow passageway was just a deterrent to those who would seek him out when he was trying to hide from his parents and every other suitor his mother was trying to set him up.   
  
He sighed and slumped against the rough wall. His mother would no longer be setting him up with ridiculously pretty, vain and shallow princesses and minor empresses for him to marry in an attempt to merge their territories. He had hated their visits. He had often fled to the river and in several days after they had returned home Johnny would fetch him. Johnny on the other hand hadn't minded entertaining the young ladies. In fact he had enjoyed it. But then Johnny was like that. Because of his race he attracted women easily, some kind of chemo-taxis he produced. Not his fault at all, it was just nature, but it meant that Johnny often had to visit brothels, something the Empress had frowned upon. She just believed that Johnny was a sex crazed male who had not self control. But because he was her sons comrade, confident and body guard, she had not exiled him from the Empire. But, Kai thought, on the other hand, Johnny was a decent and honorable man, although a bit egotistical.  
  
There was a sound of scuffling behind him, and before waiting to see what the invading force was Kai pulled back a stone door hidden behind a statue of one of his ancestors and dove into the hole only pausing to close the door behind him. A smile played on his lips as he remembered his mothers argument for him meeting the princesses.   
  
###FLASHBACK##  
  
"You're an attractive young prince Kai, you have many wonderful qualities that the princesses would find incredible."   
  
"Such as what, mother?", he had asked infuriated that his mother would not let this subject rest after he had expressed his hatred of the idea. Johnny had stood off to side knowing quite well that it was safer to stay out of the quarrels the Empress had with her son. She intended to get her way, whether Kai wanted it or not.  
  
"Well, women like men who are sensitive...", she shot Johnny a sharp look as he guffawed at this statement, before continuing, "And they love men who are fearless, true, gallant, noble and who are skilled in armed combat. And you are a coming along well in your studies of magick."  
  
For the first time ever he despised the fact that he had begged Johnny for lessons in combat and then he cursed his gift with magick, although it had come in handy. Like when he made himself invisible to Lady Melinda.   
  
"It's terrible being a worthy and noble Emperor, isn't it, Kai?"  
  
Kai had glared at his best friend who merely shrugged it off.  
  
"Mother, I expressly wished not to be introduced to anymore princesses of foreign territories."   
  
"Then do you wish to marry a Lady of the manors in Freya?"  
  
"No, mother! I do not wish to marry. I am far too young and you and Father are far from dead."  
  
"Do not tempt faith, Kai, and do not say such things as you do not wish to marry. You must or you will never be come Emperor. And besides, you are Twenty-two, not that young."  
  
Kai had rolled his eyes before turning on his heels and leaving the room followed by Johnny who smiled softly at the Queen.  
  
"He'll come round."  
  
###END OF FLASHBACK###  
  
Kai laughed shortly. He had told his mother that they were far from dead. How was he to know that Baron would attempt to take over the Freyan empire? Anger tore at his sole and devoured it. He reached subconsciously for his daggers and drew his right one, slashing it at the cold rough Jade walls, sparks shot of in every direction. He traveled along the dark tunnel only lit by the flame nestling in his open palm. The path way was smooth but cold. There was no longer any warmth in the Keep, due to the fact that he couldn't light all the hearths, in the fortress. At least most of the help had fled to secure places, though there weren't too many secure places in Chyan anymore. After all the Baron was now patrolling nearly every territory in Chyan, there were few places his enemies could flee. At least to his knowledge the most territories had fallen. Freya, Mescha, Nornia, Salafriel, and Darnatta. Harpride was still standing but only because the Jugons were to fierce to make enemies out of.   
  
After traveling for what seemed like ages he saw a circle of light ahead of him. He let out a long breath, he hadn't realized he had been holding and hurried towards the exit. Extinguishing the flames in his palm he began to shove the stone out of the way. It took most of his already declining strength to move the boulder but finally it gave way and with muscles screaming he staggered out of the tunnel and collapsed on the grassy carpet of the forest.   
  
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The mild hazy sun spilled through the break in the clouds to brighten up the countryside. A slight breeze blew through the graveyard carrying with it the heady scent of roses and other flowers to the young woman. She wandered by the unmarked and marked graves like she too was not of the living.   
  
She skirted a grassy grave marked with a Spire gravestone and came to stand at a small area of grass marked with a plain slate stone with three names score on it. Jackson Benson and Maranda Benson - died 17/3678. She knelt by the stone and stifled a sigh.   
  
"Blessed be Father, Mother. Things haven't changed much in town. The people are pretty much the same. Ruin sends her greetings.", she looked round to make sure no one was spying on her, before she poured out her thoughts and heart, "I think the graves have been multiplying recently. Because of the Baron's paranoia. The Baron is a paranoid muppet, though I don't voice that opinion to anyone, but I still think that, no I correct myself, I know that. He believes that people who do not worship him, are against him, so therefore he kills them. Well that's the simple version, it's actually a little more complex but he's still in the wrong. If he ever found out about me, then I'd be six feet under the earth, like the rest of these bones, like you are, where ever you are. But there's no reason for him to find out about me, it's not like I stand out from the rest in our bland town. Though they do look down on me; "Poor little orphan Amber; she has no family; she just tags along and takes whatever scraps people throw at her". I know they say this about me behind my back, when families are at home and they're discussing the day over dinner, my name will come up and that's what they say.   
  
"I am not being paranoid, I really know this to be true. HE tells me. Do not ask me who he is, I am not really sure. But one minute I'll be standing on my own here or at the lake and the next minute a gust of wind will blow up and a male voice will say something. The thing is, there's no one there. I do not find this at all strange, maybe that's the strange part, but I have heard voices all my life, well ever since you guys died. I do not know why you died. There was some rumor about you being traitorous to the empire, and to the Baron. But this cannot be true. You may not have been the biggest supporters of the Baron, but you would not betray the Baron. You could not, you would not know how to. And that would not explain why they executed Mariam, she was only 4 at the time, she could not possibly be accused of betraying the Baron, for the goddesses sake, she did not know what the word betrayal meant. At least I do not think she did. After all I did not."   
  
She stifled a sigh and blinked back the glaze of tears, as she stared down at the small stone memorial for her parents and sister, far away from the rest of the of the graves. Another reminder of their treachery. She had made the memorial herself, well, with the help of Tala. She was only 4 at the time. It had helped her realize what had happened and to grieve. She didn't know where their bones were. The Baron never told her, nor did Tala; probably because he didn't know. She still thought about them all the time, though she had little recollection of them really. It had been little over 15 years since it happened. But still she miss them greatly and she had nothing to remember them by either. Her old home was burnt down when she was three a couple of months before they died and everything of value perished with the flames.   
  
She placed the bunch of wild flowers in the upturned cylinder plastic vase. She once had a painted glass vase, but the local vandals broke it on her when they desecrated her memorial. She took out a vial of spring water and poured it into the vase around the flowers. A friend of her moms once told her that she loved wild flowers. So Amber took her flowers every evening, while every one else was doing what ever they did at this time of evening, she was never around the town at this time of evening. She tended to come here to stand in the peace and quiet, to get away from the town and the people. She hated the people in this town.   
  
She gazed at the sky to gauge what time it was. She estimated it to be thirty seven minutes past seven. She sighed and wiped her hands on her knee length fawn colored fur trimmed coat. A cool breeze flowed round her ankles. A row of goose bumps marched up her bare legs. She wrapped her coat around her tighter, and walked away from the grave. She had to get home soon. Boris would be finished work soon, so she should head home soon.  
  
She walked out of the grave yard and down the hill shortcut to the road. The planet of Chyan, she mused, was a lot prettier than the first planet, Earth, on which Chyan had been based on. It had been a planet of peace but one man had changed it. Baron Voltaire. He made the world a dictatorship, very much like the dictator Adolf Hitler only without the suicide. Lord Voltaire executed many of his enemies and now lived quite happily in the town of Bakuten. He had his own army aswell who quelled revolutions, the Biovolt army, and his own private assassins and bounty hunters (who didn't get any bounty) called the Demolition boys. No one knew why he wanted to rule this planet so badly but some said it had to do with a spirit, a black phoenix, but that was way before Amber's time so she didn't know much about it.  
  
  
  
Amber walked into her town via the large stone gate in the wall surrounding the entire town, it was a beautiful town, not many could boast of a town like this. There was a water fall behind the large mansion of the Baron and his temple, which was at the head of the town. There was a statue of him in the middle of the town square, made of onyx the most plentiful rock on this planet apart from Jade and rose quartz. The mountains were a must see, a great tourist attraction. Amber thought the statue was an eye sore, but she only mentioned that to Tala. He'd disliked the Baron as much as she did. His parents had been killed by the Barons run away Hover glider. But he'd been sent to the Balkov abbey to live there, like she had, with Boris. She had bonded quite quickly with him, but then he had took his chance and escaped a year ago. Life without him had been hell.   
  
She sighed heavily and turned her attention to the architecture of the town. The homes were made of precious rocks which made the homes incredibly beautiful on the outside, but quite cold on the inside, but they did promote certain aspects in peoples personality. There was a river along one side, where people got their water, it was always clean never ever dirty, something to do with the wall of sieves at the top of the dam. In the town there was the post office; the hairdresser, Mariah, the black smith who now made all the swords for the Barons men. She had her own weapon, her staff which had been giver to her by Ruin and she'd been taught to use it by Tala. She was very skilled with it now.   
  
She turned down a small street towards her home. Lining one wall outside a house was a group of people from her town. She had gone to school with most of them and had been bullied by all of them, if you could call it bullying. She could stick up for herself, but still they called her names and tried to pick fights with her. As she neared them, they started to make derogatory comments about her hair and her clothing. One of the girls stood up.   
  
"Amber shouldn't you be home by now, your mother has probably got your dinner ready! Oops that's right, I am ever so sorry. I forgot your parents are dead and your twin sister. You killed them didn't you?"  
  
Amber suppressed a groan and crossed to the other side of the street.   
  
"Better be careful Clover, she might try to kill you too.", another girl yelled out.  
  
Clover and the other girl cackled and sat down, while a boy threw a stone at Amber. A breeze blew up and the stone was blown of course. Amber pulled her jacket tighter and walked quicker down the street her ankle length boots slapping sharply on the concrete. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her run from them. She'd dealt with these muppets since she was a child, and she could deal with them now.   
  
"Blessed be, Amber, it's not like you to be out this late."  
  
Amber jumped and whirled round ready to confront the person who spoke. A young woman a couple of years older that herself stood in front of her.  
  
"Ruin!", Amber exclaimed throwing her arms round the woman.  
  
Ruin had raven black hair, streaked with red and blue piled on her head. Her eyes were startling brown and sparked with light, and heavily outlined with black. Her complexion was like polished porcelain spread over a long straight nose, a chipped chin and jawbone and high cheekbones, sharp enough to cut. Her lips painted black, stood out against the skin. She wore one of her most impressive outfits yet. Ruin was well known for her outfits. A sleek midnight blue shimmering dress, with long billowing sleeves, which showed off the slenderness of her wrists and long delicate fingers.   
  
Amber stepped back impressed. "Wow!"  
  
"Blessed be Amber.", she repeated, "Are you well?"  
  
"I am. And you?"  
  
"Filled with the suns energy."  
  
Amber smiled. It must have been nice to be that happy and free. Ruin lived where she wanted and went where she wanted. She didn't have to stay in this dingy town or put up with it's residents.   
  
"Where did your travels take you this time?"  
  
Ruin smiled wistfully. "To the corners of Chyan and back."  
  
Amber cocked her head and sighed. "I wish I could do that, but Boris is here and everything."  
  
Ruin grinned. "Maybe the next time I leave I'll ask Boris if I can take you with me."  
  
Amber brightened. "Would you?"  
  
"Yes, I believe I will. You cannot stay in this town forever. Not with your power and not with the Baron so close."  
  
Amber expression dimmed. "My....power?"  
  
Ruin nodded. "I noticed it in you along time ago.", Noticing Amber's fear, she quickly added, "Do not fear it Amber. It is yours, they will not harm you. You control them. They will help you."  
  
Amber mustered up a smile. "If you say so."  
  
"I do."  
  
They were almost at Ambers home. What Ruin had said surprised her, she never thought of herself as incredibly different. Sure she had been a little different what with the stupid voice that kept popping up with the wind. But now Ruin was saying that she was different. She had some sort of power. Though Amber had yet to see it. She wondered if it was like Ruin's power. She had often gone out with Ruin when Ruin was doing a ritual, or when she was summoning some spirit or whatever.   
  
"Well I've got to go, Amber. People to see, things to do.", Ruin spoke. "Think about what I said."  
  
Amber nodded. "I will. Fare thee well, Ruin."  
  
"Farewell Amber.", Ruin walked off down the street.  
  
Amber walked up to the door and slid her key into the slot. After a sharp push the door shuddered then open noiselessly. Inside was dark because of the fading light. She reached blindly up to the shelf on the wall and lifted a small pouch off it. She opened the pouch and emptied a small lighter in to her palm. She flicked the lighter and watched as it sparkled and lit up the room with it's single flame. She held it to the wicks of the various candles the room was lit up by a warm glow. Simple things such as this had the power to lift the dark cloud hanging over her, just as seeing Bryan in the doorway had the power to bring it back thicker and darker than ever.   
  
She sighed heavily and crossed to a chair and sat down. Bryan emerged from the shadows, into the light but still he looked menacing. As long as she had known Bryan she had yet to see him be nice and happy. He was evil. Yes that was what Amber believed, he was evil. Had he always been evil?, she wondered. Or had it just happened when she had arrived? He had always been jealous of her. But why? She couldn't remember and it made her head throb to think. The pressure was too much for her. It weighed her down, and seriously she believed if the weight became any heavier her legs would collapse underneath her.  
  
As Bryan walked further into the kitchenette area, and sat down opposite her, she eyed him warily. He studied her out of those small cold lilac eyes . Another clear indication he was evil, she decided. When she thought about it, she'd be more likely to trust and fall for someone with large solid brown eyes. She had a fixation with people with brown eyes because they seemed trustworthy. Her father had brown eyes.   
  
Finally as his gaze was becoming uncomfortable; she stood up and crossed to the tea pot stewing above the fire, which was licking up the chimney. But still she could feel the weight of his gaze. Eventually she turned round and as predicted he was staring at her.  
  
"Why do you stare at me?"  
  
His eyes glinted, whether it was because of the sparkle in the air or because of something else, she didn't know.   
  
"You have changed much since I was last here."  
  
He had been away for awhile, away with the Barons army. She hadn't forgotten but she hadn't missed him either. In fact she had rejoiced at his departure. Though Boris had informed her that he was coming back today, she had placed it to the back of her mind.   
  
"It has only been a few months."   
  
"Yes but in that time you celebrated the beginning of your nineteenth year."  
  
She shrugged.   
  
"Did you get my present?"  
  
She smiled wryly. "No, couriers mustn't be as reliable as they once were."  
  
"Hmm.", he got of the table and approached her.   
  
She resisted the urge to back away though she knew that should she attempt to retreat she'd fail as she was quite sure her feet were planted to the floor.   
  
"I made you a nice little doll's head carved out of marble."  
  
"What was wrong with it?", she asked.   
  
She knew how his little mind worked. When she was 10 he sent her a pretty little box with a nice little bow on it and inside the box was a doll who when squeezed it quoted 3 phrases: "Hello Amber! I hate you! When you're asleep I will kill you!" Amber didn't sleep for another couple of nights after receiving that doll. When she was 14 he sent her a lip tint, before she could even put it on, Tahnee Nichollby had claimed it and the instant she had smeared on her mouth she had collapsed. Only for the fact that Ruin had been there, Tahnee may have died, and she, Amber would have been accused as a murderer. As it was she had been exiled from the school for several weeks before Boris had demanded Amber be allowed to rejoin much to Ambers dismay. So as it was she began to become extremely wary of Bryan's presents.   
  
"Nothing. It looked exactly like you, down to that scar on your chin. Oh and it even had Xcaliber sticking out of her forehead.", he leered at her.  
  
Amber rolled her eyes. Xcaliber was his trusty sword. She had named it for him, unintentionally. So he had creepy dreams about killing her. Who knew? Well she did and Ruin did, but Boris didn't. He believed the sun rose and set in Bryan and Amber didn't want to shatter Boris's delusions though Ruin had threatened to do it several times. Something told Amber that Ruin didn't trust nor like Boris but that was ridiculous. Ruin had never said anything like that and there was no reason for her not to like him, except maybe because he was Bryan's father, but that wasn't Boris's fault. He couldn't help it if his son was the spawn of the Devil.   
  
"Bryan give it a rest. I know you wish I was dead, but I'm not, so deal."  
  
She set about laying the table for three, as he sat down. Just as she left an enamel mug by his place, his hand shot out and gripped her wrist.   
  
"You don't belong here. You should be six feet under the terrain with your mommy and daddy."   
  
Amber's ochre eyes darkened with anger. Then she smiled wryly. "If I was dead, your daddy would see you for the scum that you are and you'd be lying in a gutter somewhere ruing the day you were born."  
  
He smiled disarmingly letting go of her arm. "My Father worships the ground I walk on."  
  
"If he felt you were doing anything to harm me, you'd be out that door so fast your feet wouldn't touch the ground."  
  
"My father would be elated if I managed to Kill you."  
  
"Boris doesn't want me dead. He looks on me like the daughter he never had."  
  
"Yeah you keep believing that.", and with that cryptic comment he stalked into the hall.  
  
Amber followed him confused. "What do you mean?"  
  
Bryan turned to her, his thin narrow face looked sickly pale in the dim light coming from the window. His features were pasty and sunken and his chin pointed. He looked ill, as usual. Maybe when your mind sick you begin to resemble your mental appearance. His eyes were sunken, surrounded by a circle of soft brownish green, or so it seemed. He had a thin almost pale purplish mouth, and hollowed cheek bones. And his hair was pale lavender and slick. He was tall, but gangly, far too slim. He had never really filled out, yet he was an incredible fighter. He was creepy and slimy, but could be incredibly charming, never to her but to others, others who weren't her friends. Ruin despised him, and Emily was scared of him.  
  
Before he could answer the door disappeared and Boris was suddenly standing there where the door should have been. He was a tall, stocky man. His lavender hair slightly darker than Bryan's was windswept and stuffed under the hood of his black cloak. His purple eyes were hidden behind his mask which corrected his eye sight. His face was pale and drawn, his features were drawn and sunken, his pale lips were in a tight line with a cynical twist at the corners.   
  
Boris regarded his two children, though Amber was not his, he looked on her as his own daughter ever since she'd been entrusted to him. He undid his gray cloak, took off his helmet, and tugged off his gloves, leaving them with his hammer in a small cupboard he'd made for such things. In there he could see Bryan's sword and black cloak, and Amber's staff. He glanced up and nodded. Amber's eyes grew suspicious.   
  
"It's cold, I won't take my coat off till it warms up. Plus I may go out later. Ruin's back.", she defended.  
  
"But sister dear, it's my first night back, you wouldn't begrudge me a night of your company. Would you?", Bryan peered at her intently.   
  
Amber cast him a glance, then looked at Boris, who merely watched her. "I guess I must stay."  
  
Bryan smiled triumphantly as Amber marched down the dark hall to her room. She didn't catch the look of suspicion mingled with anger in Boris's eyes or the look of bitter vengeance in Bryans.  
  
***   
  
Boris stoked the fire and poured Bryan another beaker of mead from the enamel jug. On the opposite side of the room Amber sat curled up in her chair opposite the fire, holding a mug of chamomile tea. Boris glanced at her, before sitting down with a heavy sigh. It had been a long time since the three of them had been in the house together. Either Bryan was away with his battalion or else, he himself had to work in the mines or else Amber was touring about the town with Ruin, though of course with Ruin being away that hadn't been much of an option for her. And now Ruin was the back the young girl wanted to spend some time with her. But, Boris told himself, family was more important. And he and Bryan were Amber's family.   
  
He exhaled loudly and drew a glance from Amber. But as he didn't look at her she returned to her thoughts again, and he returned to his. Work was becoming more difficult with each day. The way the Baron kept on, the planet would so be out of it's most valuable resources. Some times the Baron could really exasperate him. The man seemed to have no clue how the mines worked. They should mine one cavern till it was bare then go to another one. Not mine several at one time, or so Boris believed. He tried to tell the Baron this and the proposal for more time off but the Baron had laughed at the ideas, saying he knew best.   
  
Life was becoming harder with the Baron at the helm. He had taken over the country with promises of how good the country could be, but soon showed them the real Baron Voltaire, by enslaving the strong men, taking over all the territories, placing his soldiers everywhere and executing those who were different to him. He knew the Baron would execute Amber when the time came. Yet there was nothing to be done about it.   
  
Boris eyes studied the slip of a young woman in front of him. Her hair was black and cut straight just above her shoulder blades. Her eyes were like clear amber, every so often they blazed with anger. Her skin along with her Mediterranean bone structure had been inherited form her mother, like gold cream marred only by a scar along the underside of her chin, which she'd gotten when she fell at the age of 5. And her cheek bones were finely sculpted, her mouth was small, and red. She was out spoken and opinionated, especially when she knew something was wrong. Her favorite subject to slag off was the Baron. She was incredibly intelligent though that had a lot to do with him demanding she be let back into school. And her tongue was sharp, she was never without a witty comment. She wasn't incredibly tall, only about 5ft 3", but she was fast and used her head when fighting, not her strength.  
  
She sipped delicately at the piping hot liquid. She could feel Boris's gaze burning into her, but she didn't turn. She started intently at the fire, at the flames licking at the wooden blocks that she had chopped the earlier morning. She could feel the heat wafting towards her as though in visible waves. The element of Fire was her second favorite element though she loved all of them the same. Fire had the ability to keep life and take it away. It was strong and powerful, and in people it invoked passion. While Air was her favorite, it had the ability to preserve life and yet sometimes it had the strength to take life and to destroy. In people it made them sensible supposedly but imaginative. While Water was powerful enough to destroy and rejuvenate, in people they were passive but with an undercurrent of strength and rage. While Earth was strong and kept people grounded yet when it shook it could and would destroy all in it's path.   
  
Ruin had brought out her love of the elements and spirits by teaching Amber all about them. So that she could understand them. Amber had never understood why until today. It made sense, she supposed, after all if she did have a power inside her then she should have some knowledge of what it was and have some love of it so that she wouldn't reject it. But still she wanted to know more and Bryan being here was nothing more than an inconvenience. Still if she hadn't said anything then Bryan wouldn't have mentioned anything about a family night in. How could she have been so idiotic.   
  
She cast a glance at glance at Bryan. He was staring at her, mouth slack, eyes glazed over. When he realized she was watching him, he smiled and pressed his lips together, making her stomach churn. Without saying anything, she rose from her chair and went to her room.   
  
She drew back the door into her room and stepped in making sure she hadn't been followed. She crossed to the sink made of rose quartz, and poured in some water from her enamel jug. It sloshed into the sink. She tied back her hair and then splashed the water onto her face, drying it roughly with her towel, noting vaguely that it wasn't in the position she had placed it that morning. When she was finished she put on her night gown and slipped into her bed. She fell asleep as soon as her head fell against the sheets.   
  
She was standing by the river again. The one that smelled of honeysuckle and ginger. She had visited this river every night since she was 4. It was a place of comfort for her, a place of peace, a place she could come to, and know she wouldn't be harmed. Yet this time her staff was by her favorite stone. She had never needed her weapon here before and this worried her. Clutching her hands, she sat down on the stone. As soon as she did a figure appeared on the other side of the river as it always did. Yet this time it was different. The figure wasn't her usual figure, it was some one else. A young man or warrior, dressed in a tunic and armored plating. But she couldn't see his face, in fact he didn't seem to be real. Amber stared at him, awed by its beauty before finally plucking up the courage to ask what must be asked.   
  
"Who are you?"  
  
The man laughed. "Blessed be Amber, it is I, Saizo. Spirit guardian of the skies."  
  
"Spirit?"  
  
"Yes Amber. There are many spirits in this world. Each person has a sacred spirit that guards them. I am yours, but not many have the ability to see theirs. I have been watching you for a while now."  
  
Though that sounded creepy to her, she felt something from him. Something reassuring, she could trust him.  
  
"Why haven't you made yourself known to me? Why haven't you talked to me before?"  
  
"I have."  
  
"It's your voice in the wind.", Amber realized.   
  
Saizo nodded. "But I cannot explain now. I am here to warn you. Those close to you are not what they seem. Trust no one, be wary of every one. Do not let yourself be sold. The enemy is closer than you think."  
  
"Who? Bryan? I know all about him Saizo, I won't let him hurt me."  
  
"That's not the only one child......", he trailed off looking fearfully behind him. "They are coming I must go. Heed my words, trust no one lest ye be.......", he trailed off again. His glowing eyes were large and fearful. He looked over his shoulder and let out a short yell, before a large black taloned hand reached for him and pulled him into the blue hue. Amber jumped to her feet, grabbing her staff she ran to her guardian, but the river disappeared and in it's place was a black hole. Amber looked down and began to fall into the unknown.  
  
She cried out before jerking up in her bed. She sat there breathing shallow. What was that?, she wondered. And who couldn't she trust? She squeezed the bridge of her nose and blew out a lung full of air. Sighing heavily she threw of her quilt and swinging her legs off the bed went to get a shower. 


	2. Queen among peasants

A.N. Hello I'm back again. God if weren't for the fact that the two people who reviewed are excellent authors, then I'd feel that my story sucked. But oh well, I know it's not bad. It's just very different. So anyway to my favorite and only reviewers, ChibiTari and Zadien, all I have to say is: Go raibh maith agat, mo chairde!  
  
Disclaimer:   
  
{Amber} Um, what are we doing here again?  
  
{Miyami} Must be the second chapter of Spitty's fic.   
  
{Amber} Oh. *looks over her shoulder* At least Kai's not here.  
  
{Miyami} I'm supposed to be starring in ChibiTaris' fic, I should really be there now.   
  
{Amber} Hey at least you're only in the first part of this chapter. You get to head back early, I'm stuck in here for the rest of the chapter,and Zadien will be looking for me shortly.  
  
{Skip} Don't understand what you two are complaining about, you get to star in your authoresses stories while guesting in friends fics, I'm not even playing lead in Spitty's fic, and my characters out of wack!  
  
*Amber and Miyami shake their heads*   
  
{Miyami} Listen Skip, you're new. We're veterens you can learn a lot from us.  
  
{Sae} Hey I'm back. Okies so places everyone.  
  
*Cast of beyblade plus OC's grumble*  
  
{Sae} OK, I don't own Beyblade or it's characters. Miyami belongs to ChibiTari, Amber and Ruin belong to Zadien, while Sonia belongs to me. So here's the next chapter of:  
  
Destroying my spirit, Stealing my heart.  
  
By: Spitfire_Sae  
  
Chapter two: Queen among peasants  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&&&~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A figure sat clad in black on the back of a raven black horse. Silver eyes watched a ruined fortress below the entrance to the woods the horse hesitated in front of. The fortress had once been her home, the Kinomiya castle, but it was destroyed just as everything else was in this world. Her family was kept prisoner in the dungeons. Well three fifths of it was anyway. Her two older brothers had managed to escape to join the rebels but she heard from other prisoners in the dungeons that both her brothers had been slain in battle against the Biovolt army. She hadn't had time to grieve them then, but she could mourn their deaths now. But she wouldn't shed tears over it; that would be a waste of bodily fluids. Instead she would concentrate on revenge.  
  
Vengeance would be hers. For her brothers, her mother who had died of hunger in the dungeons, her sister who'd been taken as a whore for the Biovolt army and for her father. Her only true surviving family. She would get him back. She would return him to his throne and she would destroy Voltaire. Not single handily of course, she wasn't that naive. But she would seek help from the rebels. The Kon Empire hadn't been of any help to her territory. It had pained her to see her whole empire captured. She could still remember the night so vividly.  
  
####FLASHBACK####  
  
Princess Miyami Kinomiya rolled over in her bed in an effort to drown out the noise that was plaguing her sleep. Surely it wasn't morn yet. She had only gotten to sleep and she refused to give up on the dreams of the cute prince she imagined she'd be betrothed to. Growling in her sleep, she stuffed her head under the pillow as a bang exploded somewhere in the distance. Still half asleep she tried to keep a hold on the lingering dream.   
  
The door to her room burst open and there was a slap of footsteps on the wooden boards of her floor.   
  
"Miyami!", someone hissed.  
  
Again Miyami groaned, murmured something inaudible and tried to snuggled further under her comforter.  
  
"Mimi, wake up!"  
  
"Go away. I beg of you, go far, far away."  
  
"We're under attack. Arise!", instead of waiting for the words to be processed through the young princesses mind, the maid grabbed the comforter and yanked it from the young womans body.   
  
The cold air surrounded the princess who shivered as though she'd been dunked in ice cold water. Her eyes snapped open and she looked round the darkened room, her silver eyes making out the silhouette of her maid.  
  
"Mariah, pray tell, what is the meaning of this? It isn't even dawn yet, why do you disturb my sleep?"  
  
"I'm sorry mistress but the keep is under attack. You father begs you to leave now. I will accompany you to the perimeters of the empire then you will be on your own."  
  
"No, I will not desert my family."   
  
"You must my princess. If you don't, who knows what will happen to the Kinomiya empire?"  
  
"It will fall into Lord Voltaire's' hands. Like every other territory. And it won't matter whether I'm in the dungeons or not."  
  
Mariah wrinkled her nose in defeat, then sighing she tucked her larger than life pink hair away from her face, behind her ear. Miyami rolled out of the bed still in her nightgown and groped blindly for something to wear while Mariah pulled her long silver hair back from her face. Finally dressed she sought out her knapsack containing the weapons her older brothers taught her to use; her throwing knives and her mace. Hefting her mace in her hand she hurriedly led Mariah out of the room towards the conference room. As she stormed down the corridor she was joined by Captain Li, who carried his own knife.   
  
"Princess, I have orders to remove you from the castle.", the man with the wild dark charcoal gray hair and eyes the colour of burnt honey ordered with a gruff voice.  
  
"Try it Li, and I will hurt you.", she threatened keeping her voice low.   
  
"But princess....", he trailed off at the dark look she sent him.   
  
"Since my brothers have left I will be heir to the throne since my sister has no such delusions of grandeur.", she paused at the large oak door to the conference chamber and glanced at Li. "If you want to remove some one from the castle, take Mariah, Li. I don't want her to be hurt."  
  
Mariah made a noise of protest but silenced at another dark look from the heir to the throne.   
  
"You have served me too long and too well, for me to let you stay here and risk getting hurt. Leave now Li and take Mariah with you.", with that as her final orders, she swung open the large doors and entered the chamber.   
  
Mariah and Li watched their brave princess and friend stalk off, then Li ushered Mariah away from the door and they hurried down the corridor, their hearts filled with sorrow.  
  
Heads turned as Miyami strode into the chamber. Her father shook his head. "Miyami I thought I gave Captain Li express orders for your removal from the castle."  
  
"I'm the heir to the throne father and I will not leave this castle or these people in their hour of need.", her voice rose over the loud explosions and all the screams from the soldiers fighting the Barons army. She knew it wouldn't be enough, her armies would fold because they didn't have enough forces and because many of them were afraid of the Baron, and the myths surrounding him.   
  
Her father dragged his hand through his navy hair and sighed heavily, regarding his young daughter dressed in blue pants, a pair of supple; knee length; leather; brown boots and a sky blue top with a silk white cover. It was a cross from what she was wearing to dinner earlier that night and what she wore when she was wearing for training that morning. Too keep herself warm she wore a dark brown cloak pulled round her tightly. On her wrists she wore a wrist sheaths which held her throwing knives, and she held her mace tightly in a white knuckle clench, showing her anger at her territory of being invaded. Her silver eyes were now crimson with rage, and her canine fangs were bared. Her silvery blue hair was pulled back from her face revealing her pretty face which now wore an expression of quietly controlled rage.  
  
There was another explosion only this time it was much nearer. "Sire we must leave now.", one of his bodyguards ventured.   
  
Before the King could make a reply, there was a creak as the door burst open and the princess made her way out of the room and down the corridor. She glanced down the corridors pacing herself, waiting for the enemy to reach her. She could hear voices shouting and the clang of swords up ahead of her. She was ready; when she rounded the corridor; when an enemy soldier pounced on her as an easy target. Miyami ducked and wasted no time swinging her mace into his face. There was a crack as his nose and various other bones smashed under the iron of her weapon. Her opponent screamed and fell to the floor. She stepped over him, not worrying about him too much as she knew, the force of the blow she gave him would be enough to send the nose fragments into his brain destroying the vital organ.   
  
Another man came at her, but this one was a little more cautious having seen his comrade at her feet. She weighed him up with a cool gaze and waited for him to come to her. It was defensive fighting. And of course he came. He swung his sword down at her face, but she parried. He thrust again, again she parried. This kept going for a few more minutes. He went on the defensive while she defended herself and her home. Finally growing bored, she ducked down in a twirl and swung her mace up and into the abdomen. The air whooshed out of his lungs, as the sword clattered to the floor. Kicking it out of her way, she spiraled up and slammed the weapon into his head. He collapsed with a cry.   
  
Gathering momentum she suntered down the corridor, keeping a watch on what was going on around her. She could hear more screams coming from all around her. There was a shout and whirling round she caught sight of a archer making his way towards her. She knew she wouldn't reach him in time to bury her iron weapon into him, so instead she released one of her blades in her arm. With expertise and pin point accuracy she'd gained over the years, she let the blade fly and it slid effortlessly into the mans forehead through his skull. She thanked her uncle for finding the sharp almost unstoppable metal for her blades. They had saved her life many times.   
  
She walked forward to retrieve the blade. They were too important, for her to let them be left in some persons head. As she slid the knife back into her sheath, she heard a noise behind her. Whirling round, mace in the air ready to attack whoever should attack her from behind. Then everything had gone black.   
  
####END OF FLASHBACK####  
  
Miyami sighed heavily. The next thing she had known was waking up in the dungeons. Her mother and sister had been captured on their way away from the castle as had her father. She had been the only one to stay and fight for her people. She couldn't hold that against her family, they'd wanted to live. While in the dungeons she'd made alliances with some of the other prisoners and they had shared their information of the outside world with her, and though most of the news had been bad. She had been glad of the connection. Then one night she'd awoken to find a woman clad in black wandering round the dull chamber.   
  
She had approached her, smiled and said: "You're work is not quite done yet.", she'd whispered and with that cryptic comment, she'd disappeared.   
  
Well the woman hadn't but the dungeon had. Instead Miyami had found herself in a cave not far from her family home. It had frightened her at first, then she realized that she was free to help her family be free again. She still had a quest to carry out. So now she spurred her horse round, intent on finding the rebel base and enlisting their help.   
  
Just as she was about to enter the forest she heard a growl behind her. Her hand unconsciously felt for her mace. Then her gaze fell on two red eyes watching her from the shrubbery. Then suddenly they were gone. Placing the vision down to exhaustion Miyami carried on into the forest. She'd find the rebels and she'd restore her home.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Amber, wait for me?"  
  
Amber turned round at the voice and sighed as she watched Sonia Martini stumbled towards her ladened down with numerous books, she had taken from the archive. She was a strange girl Amber mused but a good friend, loyal and trustworthy. Trust though was something Amber wasn't at all sure off, after that extremely weird dream. But Sonia wasn't someone who inspired fear. She was short and skinny, with hardly any meat. You could barely see that she had any muscle in her. She had large sapphire blue eyes, and tan skin stretched over a sharp bone structure. Her hair was vibrant garnet streaked with gold by the sun, cut along her shoulders. As she approached she sniffled and huffed lugging the books along.   
  
"Blessed Be Amber.", she greeted breathlessly, "Where might you be of to in such a hurry?"  
  
She watched Amber with eager eyes. She believed Amber was one of the most exciting people she had ever had the pleasure of knowing. She always knew what she wanted and she was never afraid to voice her opinion. And she always stood up for what was right and she was always ready to help someone in need. And she could fight. Sonia wished her life was a little bit exciting, maybe if she lived with Boris or had an evil sibling. And Amber also had no parents, though Sonia couldn't imagine ever not having parents. It wasn't right. But if she couldn't have an exciting life then she'd just tag along to someone who did. Plus Amber also had better clothes.   
  
Amber looked down at Sonia and sighed. "Blessed be Sonia. I'm going to visit Ruin."  
  
She watched as Sonia's eyes rounded.   
  
Ruin was another exciting person, some said she was a sorceress while others said she was the daughter of light and others said she'd been forged from the fires of hell. Sonia didn't know what she believed but Ruin always had exciting things to talk about. Like her travels and once she had heard Ruin talk of a man in another territory. But she wasn't permitted to repeat things that vulgar. Besides it could and would get Ruin into trouble if Sonia were to repeat it and she didn't want to get Ruin into trouble.   
  
Amber regarded Sonia almost pitifully. She had such a boring life and she was like Amber a social outcast because of her love of the old days and because of her illness, though no one wished to speak of it.   
  
"Do you wish to come with me, Sonia?"   
  
Sonia looked down sheepishly. "If you do not mind."  
  
"Of course I do not mind. Come on.", Digging her hands deep into the pockets on her coat, she started up the street with Sonia by her side.   
  
They met up with Ruin in the local market and they decided to go to the woodland areas.   
  
As they walked up the street Amber became highly aware of someone watching them laughing and talking about Ruin's earlier adventures. Ruin must have sensed it too as she glanced over her shoulder before nudging Amber. Amber looked behind them and noticed him standing by the local store watching them. She groaned angrily and spun round, still with her hands in her pockets. She waved her friends on and walked back to him. He watched her with those lilac eyes that made her squirm just looking at him.   
  
"Bryan, stalking is a criminal offense, even in this dictatorship."  
  
"I'm just looking out for my dear sister."  
  
"Hmmm, more like hoping that I'll drop dead, or for some way for you to hand me over to   
  
the Baron for treachery, more like."  
  
He shrugged. "What would it take for you to be just a little nicer to me?"   
  
"How about a personality transplant?"  
  
He laughed bitterly, before pushing away from the wall and going the opposite way. She watched him go with sickening dread. This wasn't going to be helpful, if he was going to keep watching her at all times. No in fact it was going to make things more difficult. She groaned and turned round to her friends. As she joined them, Ruin turned to her.   
  
"What did he wish from you?"  
  
"To let me know that he is watching me."  
  
"That is not good. If he sees what Ruin does, he will surely turn her over to the Baron. She will be executed.", Sonia murmured.  
  
"The Spirits will protect her!", Amber replied.  
  
"There is only so much the Spirits can protect you from, when you are not watching out for yourself. You must never be careless with your gift.", the last bit she directed at Amber.   
  
Amber averted her gaze from the intensity of Ruin's eyes. She focused her attention on the architecture of the Baron's mansion on the hill overlooking the town. It was tall and sturdy. There were turrets at every corner, like look outs in every direction. The bricks were golden colored, and the windows were black and reflected nothing. They were to let the light in, but not people's vision in. There was a wall surrounding it with barbed wire along the top and every so often you could catch a glimpse of the head of one of the guards on sentry duty. On dark days such as today the place looked evil and cold. There was an aura of something raw and corrupt surrounding the place. Amber hugged herself to suppress a shudder, but in vain.   
  
"I hate that place.", Sonia murmured.  
  
"It is not the place that is evil.", Amber answered voice equally quiet.  
  
"Is it not?", Ruin asked gravely.  
  
The two younger girls looked at her bewildered.  
  
"Can the terrain be evil?", Sonia asked eyes never leaving the mansion boundaries.  
  
Ruin inhaled deeply. "The element of Terra can be used for whatever purpose, good or evil, but this terrain I believe is quite strange."  
  
They stood watching the mansion outlined by the bleak gray background. There was a military trudge of feet behind them, and their heads shot round. There marching towards them were men clad in red and gray, with swords dangling at their sides. The three girls quickly walked towards them, heads down. As they passed Amber cast a glance over her shoulder. She looked round and breathed a sigh of relief as Bryan seemed distracted momentarily by the Biovolt shoulders. Grabbing Ruin and Sonia, she ducked down a side alley which led to the river.  
  
Finally they arrived at the River. Ruin walked to the bank and knelt there trailing her fingers through the running water. She smiled softly, letting the coolness of the water refresh her. Eventually she stood up and wiped her hands on her skirt. She turned and watched as Amber walked down the bank a little. Ruin followed her and Sonia tagged along. Amber walked somberly, eyes fixed on a small area ahead of her that reminded her of her dream. She came to a stop by the stone, her stone. She looked down at it then gazed across the water to the other banks. Ruin came up beside her, and as she did she felt the pull of the power. It was almost visible around her, she could feel her hands waving through it, like hands through water.   
  
"Amber why did you bring us here, to this spot in particular?"  
  
Amber shrugged suddenly looking lost. "I don't know why I brought you. I come here every night."  
  
Sonia gasped. "But the Curfew?"  
  
Amber shook her head. "Not physically Son, in my dreams. This is the spot I come to, to talk to my parents."  
  
Ruin nodded. She had guessed this before, but hadn't known quite how close her guess was. But she could see now, more to the point she could feel it. The air was heavy, it coated her lungs thickly, making it difficult to breath, yet Amber and Sonia moved through it quite easily. She wished to ask Amber some questions but one look at Amber's forlorn expression, she decided to let the young girl get everything off her chest.   
  
"Last night....", she trailed off and looked round confused, clutching her staff close to her chest.  
  
"Last night wasn't like the other nights was it, Amber?", Ruin prompted.   
  
Amber whirled surprised. "How did you know?"  
  
Ruin started at the suspicion in her young friends tone. What had happened last night to make Amber suspicious? It was a good thing, no doubt about that for she wasn't as trusting as usual, but she was suspicious of her friends and that wasn't good.  
  
"You said something about last night before you trailed off Amber."  
  
Amber glanced at her curious. "I did?"  
  
Sonia nodded.  
  
"Oh. Well. I had the dream last night. I came here and approached the stone. My staff was lying by the stone. I thought this weird, this place in my dream has always been a place of sanctuary, no need for weapons. But well last night my staff lay by the stone. I paid no heed, just sat down on the stone and waited for my family.", she paused.  
  
"What happened? Didn't they come?", Sonia asked breathlessly.  
  
"Hmm? No a strange warrior came.", Amber's voice was high pitched and confused.  
  
"How strange?", Ruin moved closer, and laid a comforting hand on her friends shoulder.  
  
Amber turned round to look at Ruin, her blue eyes clouded. "I think it was a spirit. At least that's what it told me. It just doesn't make sense, does it?"  
  
"It doesn't.", Ruin said more to herself than anyone else.   
  
Sonia looked at Ruin. "Beg your pardon Ruin, but what was it then, in her dream?"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"You said it doesn't make sense that it was a spirit, but what else could it be?"  
  
Ruin frowned. "I'm not sure.", she looked at Amber. "What else happened?"  
  
Amber looked torn, as though she was having an internal battle with herself. Finally making up her mind, she sat down on the rock.   
  
"He warned me not to be too trusting, then he was torn from me. Something came after him, I tried to help him but I couldn't reach him. I couldn't help him. I couldn't...."  
  
Ruin stared at her. So the spirit had made Amber suspicious of every one. Well that explained one thing, but what had come after the spirit. She must have been in another dimension, that was the only plausible explanation, though Ruin couldn't boast any knowledge about other dimensions, but that seemed to be where the spirit was. But the veil must have been thin as it seemed to be communicating with Amber. And if the spirit could communicate with Amber then that meant that whatever was with him in that dimension could communicate with someone on this side aswell. Oh, this did not bode well. Not at all. She needed to get in touch with her spirit. Oh she could not do that either. She sighed heavily. Things did not bode well at all.  
  
"I fear for my safety, Ruin. Bryan is home and he has made it clear that he does not want me here."  
  
Amber's eyes filmed over and her vision blurred. She stared across the river to the spot where Saizo had stood. A figure was standing there again. Amber blinked and a tear spilled over and trailed down her cheek. She wiped it away and blinked a few times believing that it was just a figment of her imagination. But when she looked up again it was still there.   
  
"Saizo.", she whispered.  
  
The figure on the opposite bank smiled and nodded.  
  
"I thought you were taken."  
  
Saizo shook his head. Sonia glanced at Ruin, and gestured to Amber. Ruin shrugged and motioned for Sonia to be quiet. Something was obviously talking to Amber and it seemed only Amber could see it. Ruin turned her head hoping that maybe she'd be able to see it out of peripheral vision. She could almost see a blurry figure with golden and clad in white armor trimmed with metallic red, silver and greeny/blue.   
  
"What happened?"   
  
"We can not speak out loud here. I will communicate with you telepathically."  
  
Amber frowned hearing his voice in her head, then thought. "Fine. Then what happened?"  
  
"Nothing you need to worry about."  
  
"Why can't we speak out loud? I trust my friends."  
  
"Yes you may trust them, but that does not mean that they won't betray you. Heed my words, I do not want them to hear what we are saying. Mark my words the eyes of the enemy are every where."  
  
Amber looked around her, then back to Saizo. She noticed the array of spirits surrounding him, varying from a red phoenix, to a white tiger and on to a large purple turtle. "Who are they?"  
  
"Do you not remember them?"  
  
Amber nodded, she remembered. When she'd been a child she had played with them instead of dolls. They had kept her company during her lonely child hood and she had forgotten them as she grew older.   
  
"They've been watching you. Making sure you are safe. Unfortunately you need to go. We will talk later Amber. Remember we are always with you, I will not desert you."  
  
Amber nodded mustering up a smile. With that as his parting Saizo disappeared. Amber's head shot up. Her eyes pinned Ruin and Sonia where they stood.   
  
"Was that the spirit?"  
  
"I'd prefer it if we never spoke of this ever again, Sonia."  
  
Sonia's eyes widened at the threatening tone in Amber's voice. She nodded quickly. "Of course."  
  
Ruin stepped forward cautiously. Amber whipped round to fix her gaze on her then she sighed heavily and stood up. "I need to go to work. I'll see you two later."  
  
"At the meeting?", Sonia asked.   
  
Amber and Ruin looked down, their shoulders slumped. "Thank you for reminding us."  
  
"I hate the rallies. I'm sure that Voltaire is slowly brainwashing us."  
  
Ruin shook her head. "I do not doubt that but we both have strong minds and it will take a lot more meetings to break them. Anyway I'll be out of the town for the next meeting."  
  
Amber stared at Ruin. "When are you leaving?"  
  
"In a couple of days."  
  
"But you've only been here for a day. Where will you go?"  
  
"Where ever I am needed. Do not worry Amber, I will never be far from you."  
  
Sonia watched the exchange with interest. Amber always disliked it when Ruin went and left her in Vesta on her own. Sonia knew she wasn't much of a consolation friend compared to Ruin, who understood everything that was going on with Amber. Ruin could explain things to Amber that no other could. Hence why Sonia was nothing compared to Ruin.   
  
"But you won't be here. I won't be able to deal with Bryan on my own Ruin."  
  
"You must. If I stay here I will surely end up in the gallows!"  
  
"Fine! I have to go to work."  
  
***  
  
Amber knocked on the heavy oak door with the large brass knocker. The door vibrated with the force of each knock. There was a thud and a curse. Amber winced then stepped back from the door fearing the wrath from whoever opened the door. The house wall consisted of Ivory and Onyx walls, it boasted wealth and aristocracy. It belonged to Countess Hortense Malkovich, one of the richest patrons in the town. She was rumored to be some relation of Amber's father hence why Amber had been given a job here when she turned 7, with no questions asked, yet she never showed any signs of affection to the lonely young girl who had helped clean her house for more than a decade. As she waited, she surveyed the garden. It was large, and the fountain was the center focus in the Garden. It was made of onyx and there was a decoration of Red Obsidian, there were intricate carvings along the base. The flowers were large and wild rose hip red, there pollen was heavy and intense, as far as Amber knew they were the only variety of flowers which could be grown in a garden on this planet. She had read often enough of millions of flowers that people used grow on Earth and also how they had competitions over who had the best garden. The only kind of gardening you could have a competition over here on Chyan was landscaping.   
  
There was a rattle of the handle, a click and a shudder followed by the door creaking open. Amber looked round and then up at the large woman framed in the doorway. She was tall and very plump, her figure wasn't helped by the clothes she wore. A long mauve dress with white flowers, a pair of tan pantyhose's which fell in folds at the ankles, and a pair of flat patent shoes smudged with dirt. Her face was round, and to Amber it sort of resembled the moon only menacing. Her eyes were small and pig like, her nose with long and pointed and her mouth was in a prim line. Her thick hair was slicked back into a schoolmarms bun. Though in Amber's opinion she resembled what she imagined a canteen lady in all those Earth novels she had read when she was a child from the ancient part of the library would have been like. Yet for the strictness of her expression she was incredibly generous and good hearted.   
  
Amber smiled up at her and softened the womans expression.   
  
"Amber Marie Benson, you are late!", she stated.  
  
Amber stubbed her foot on the door step. "Yes, Martha, I know."  
  
"And the mistress does frown on tardiness, young lady. You're already on thin ice with the mistress due to your smart mouth."  
  
She shrugged. "She believes we're stupid. I've had a very good education, as has nearly every other person who works here and I dislike the way that woman treats us as though we're merely serfs from the 1st millennium."  
  
Martha grunted and stepped back to let Amber inside. The young girl brushed past and headed down the hall. As she past the display table she noticed five cylinder metallic gray objects. She paused by the table, then turned to Martha.   
  
"Another one?"  
  
Martha nodded. "Came in the early morning post."  
  
"Who is it?"  
  
Martha motioned to it. "See for yourself."  
  
Amber tapped the cylinder nearest to her. There was a click and a blue light streamed out of it and formed a hologram of a young man with short spiked two tone blue hair and a cool chiseled face. He stood with the air of authority, just like every other hologram.  
  
"Who is he?"  
  
Martha cast it a glance. "Well, it says that's he's the King of the Freyan's and that he escaped last week."  
  
"But if he escaped last week why have we only received a hologram now?"  
  
Martha shrugged then reached over and tapped the other one beside it. This time a young woman possibly a year younger than Amber stood there. She had long silver hair and brilliant silver eyes. She, too, had a regal air surrounding her.   
  
"Maybe they wanted to send these two together to save money."  
  
Amber looked at the other one. "And she is?"  
  
"That one is the heiress to the Kinomiya throne, I believe. Fled from the dungeon last night. Quite a shock for the Baron, that a young girl could escape his prison. Would have loved to have seen his face.", Martha laughed out loud.  
  
Amber grinned. She, too, would have liked to have seen the Baron's face. So, she mused, another Rebel leader had escaped. That would give the people hope, having their leaders escape and be free, to lead the people in a rebellion against the Baron.   
  
"Where do you think they've gone?"  
  
"I do not know and I do not care!"  
  
"Why not? Don't you wonder how they escaped. I do!"  
  
"Well you shouldn't!"  
  
"Why not? These people have escaped, they can save us.", Amber said, her hand waved out showing the five holograms. One was the lord of Davensale, while the other was Tala, the rebel leader once a member of Voltaire's demolition boys; he now fought the good fight and the third was the captain of the Freyan army, though as far as Amber knew this man was not a Freyan. The Captain had escaped several weeks ago before the King. Maybe he had helped the King escape. Hmmm! Well she wouldn't let the Baron know of her thoughts.   
  
"These people may be able to save us but they have also placed us in terrible trouble. The Baron will be furious about this escape. And knowing him he will take it out on the villagers and then we will all be in trouble!"  
  
Amber shrugged. It wasn't any concern of hers if the Baron took out his anger on a group of people who couldn't even be bothered to stand up for themselves. In her opinion some of them deserved to be punished....but not all of them. She shook her head, staying in this god forsaken city was rotting her brain, brainwashing her to think like the Baron wanted them to think. He wanted them to be loyal to him and forget everything else that meant something to them, family, friends, lovers, home, pets.....everything that people had worked so hard for.   
  
Someone poking her in the side had her squirming out of her reverie. She looked round and her face split into a grin when she saw a young man standing beside her.   
  
"Are you ready to work now?"  
  
"Of course.", she linked her arm through his as they walked to the main stairs.   
  
He glanced out of his corner at her, and didn't avert his eyes quickly enough when Amber cast him a look. She caught the fear in his blue eyes.   
  
"Enrique, what is it?"  
  
"Nothing Amber."  
  
"You lie. There is fear in your eyes Enrique, and you my dear friend do not get scared easily."  
  
Enrique's broad shoulders slumped under his charcoal gray tunic. His handsome craggy face was drawn and pale, his movements jittery. He ran a shaky hand frustratedly through his flaxen hair. She watched the movements worriedly. He was jumpy, not as cool or friendly as he usually was, it was as though he was waiting for something bad to jump out of every shadow.  
  
  
  
"What has the Baron done?", she demanded filled with inspiration.   
  
Enrique looked as she imagined a historic animal such as the rabbit might have looked when it was caught in the head lights of the earthling contraption known as an automobile.   
  
"Enrique! What has he done?"  
  
His eyes focused on her. "He's, he's........"  
  
"He's what?"  
  
"He's coming here!"  
  
Amber's eyes widened. She pushed away from Enrique and searched out Martha. She stormed out up the stairs to the Master bedroom not bothering to marvel at the new trinkets lining the vanity. Martha looked up annoyed while the other maid serf carried on tidying the bed.   
  
"Amber you know your not senior enough to be in this room! Go on get!"  
  
The young woman held her ground stubbornly. "Is it true?"  
  
Martha sighed, she knew this would happen. Quietly she had hoped Amber wouldn't turn up to work today but she had and it was Martha's job to make sure that Amber didn't do anything or say anything stupid that would put every one in jeopardy. She had already placed everything of sharpness that could be used as a weapon into the vault. But although she had always admired Amber's initiative, today she feared it. She gazed at the young woman standing there, eyes ablaze. She was young enough that she could afford to waste energy on hating the Baron, the older you became the more pointless it became and the more people just went along with the Baron trying not to rock the boat anymore than others did. Finally she answered.  
  
"Yes, it's true. And you like everyone else will stay here and be a good peasant serf Amber.", she added quickly when she noticed Amber's eyes flick to the door.   
  
"I'm not like everyone else, and I sure as hell am not a peasant serf. He killed my family and if you think I am going to stand here and act like I respect and revere him, you have another thing coming!"  
  
Martha met her burning gaze that was full of self righteousness. "You say your not like everyone else, prove it! Stay here, face your enemy and come out the better person. You talk about those men who escaped to save their people, why don't you save us!"  
  
It was a challenge, Amber hated challenges, she could never, would never back done from a challenge.   
  
"Fine. But some day, just you watch I'll get out of here!", she whirled round and exited the room like an uncrowned queen. Martha watched her go then sighed thumping down on the bed, while the other maid began tutting and preening the bed all over again.   
  
***  
  
Work was quick but without the usual good humor. No one wanted to be there, least of Amber and everyone noticed. Many asked if she wished to go home sick yet she always refused. It was now spread all over the house that the Baron and the ministry for hygiene were on their way and that if things were not up to scratch many would be executed.   
  
Amber sighed wiping her hair out of her eyes with her forearm and stared down into the suddy water of the lavatory which she had been assigned to clean. It was ridiculous, she wasn't senior enough to be in the Master bedroom yet she was senior enough to clean the lavatory, the most important part of the house which needed to be especially clean due to the fact that most of the diseases entered here. There was a peal of bells that signified the arrival of the Baron and the ministry. There was a rush of feet and voices, the door opened and then everything went quiet except for the lone footsteps of the small group. There was a deep murmur, possibly from the Baron and then Amber tuned out.   
  
She was supposed to line up in the hall but she hadn't got her chores finished yet so she sat in front of the lavatory on the sparkling onyx and pearl floor wearing her uniform, gray baggy trousers, a lilac long sleeved polo neck blouse and a navy short sleeved tunic. It would've made an interesting sight, she supposed. Instead of thinking of what she looked like she turned her attention back to the lavatory. The water was sparkling now from the bowl, yet she just wanted to give it the finishing touch. Lifting the special rod she began to stir the bowl till the water rose up a little in a whirlpool, she stood up removing the rod and placed her hand over the water.   
  
"Uisce, glanadh an leithreas!", she muttered in her native tongue.   
  
The water began to rise up like a tornado, moving her hand round the bowl, the water followed rinsing the bowl in the most spectacular fashion. She was so caught up in what she was doing, she didn't realize she had gained an audience. There was a shuffle behind her and before she whirled round she cut of the magick and the water fell to the bowl with a slosh and it was as though it had never happened. She stared up at the Baron and cursed herself. He stood at the doorway, eyes black as ebony watched her intensely.   
  
"Excuse me, I did not know there was a private performance going on up here."  
  
Amber looked down sheepishly, partially ashamed he would see her magick which she had kept so perfectly hidden, and secondly so he wouldn't see her rage.   
  
"I am sorry if I frightened you Amber.", there was amusement in his tone.  
  
Something so surprising Amber had to look up, and there it was lurking behind his eyes, he was laughing at her. She bit back a scathing retort, in fact for her own safety she bit her tongue and instead shook her head. He was still laughing at her. He brushed his long gray hair out of his darkly male face.   
  
"Are you unable to speak today, Amber? That is very unlike you."  
  
She suppressed a shudder. He knew her name and claimed to know her personally. It creeped her out. He made her want to retch. It felt as though he knew everything about her as though he had been keeping tabs on her all her life. She shrugged off the feeling. It was stupid, there would be no reason for him to do that.   
  
"Do you wish me to leave Ami?"  
  
Her stomach churned and she bit her tongue hard enough to taste the copper tang of blood. It would be too easy to retort to that question. Finally she looked up and gazed levelly at him.   
  
"What answer do you wish me to give, your Imperialness?"  
  
He smiled at her formal tone. The young woman could with a simple tone make his address sound childish and unworthy. He knew she was still bitter about the fact that her Father the traitor had been executed along with the wife and daughter. He knew her reactions, had studied her reactions ever since the death of her family. It had been his doing that had saved her from death. He knew the prophecy well and had at first believed that it had been the eldest daughter that would harness the extreme power and that he'd be able to manipulate the youngest for his own purpose. His only oversight was her strength of will.   
  
"I wish for you to speak your mind, as I wish all my other subjects to speak their minds. I am very much for free speech."  
  
Her eyes were suddenly ablaze but she held her tongue. He had to admire that will power, to hate and yet not lash out. It was indeed a special talent in itself.   
  
"Is there nothing on your mind on which you wish to speak?"   
  
Her chin jutted out in a gesture of defiance. "What is on my mind will remain there for myself and myself only."  
  
He smiled then whirled round at the clatter of footsteps on the stairs. Amber breathed out a sigh of relief and as she did she caught the flicker of annoyance in the Baron's eyes. She didn't have time to wonder at it as Enrique breezed in and began to cluck around her. Martha soon followed with the ministry on her heels.   
  
"Amber what are you doing up here? You should have finished quite a time ago!"  
  
Amber looked away sheepishly, while the Baron spread his hands to stop Martha moving any closer, as though he was warding the old woman off Amber.   
  
"Amber was just entertaining me for a few minutes. These meetings although vitally important can be dreadfully boring, so Amber was just keeping my mind busy for a few blissful minutes."  
  
Amber watched him from the floor, her features darkened. She didn't need his help to get her out of trouble, she especially didn't need to be defended from her seniors who were also her friends. Enrique sensing the undercurrent of emotion in her hoisted Amber to her feet and led her down the stairs. As soon as they were out of the Baron's hearing range Enrique turned to her, gray eyes clouded with concern.  
  
"Did he hurt you?"  
  
Amber mustered up a smile and shook her head relieved. "No, he just made me edgy."  
  
"He's not going to report you is he?"  
  
"I don't think so. It doesn't matter anyway. Oh, did we pass the ministry's standards?"  
  
Enrique sat down beside her on the door step. "Yes, with flying colors as you would say."  
  
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "He wasn't pleased about you two arriving when you did."   
  
"Why was he going to hurt you?"  
  
"I do not think he was going to hurt me, although I have a feeling he wanted to hurt me. It's strange. But it felt as though he was thinking about how he killed my parents and I; for a second; you see I felt that I should be grateful to him that I was alive.", she laughed embarrassed. "Silly isn't it. I mean why would he kill Miriam and let me live. There would be no sense. "She shrugged and took comfort in Enrique's arms.   
  
Someone cleared their throat. The two of them sprang apart and whirled round. Martha stood there with the Baron standing beside them. Amber could read the dark unspoken rage in his eyes which made her blood run cold. He fixed the look on Enrique, then with a smile that was just mouth and no eyes, departed down the path with the ministry chasing him with their clip board monitors. When he was gone Martha sighed heavily.   
  
"Oh thank the spirits he has gone!", then she turned to Amber. "Now you young lady-"  
  
Amber winced. She had been dreading Martha's lecture. She knew she had disobeyed orders, not for the first time but this time the Goddamn Baron had been there and he'd caught her with her magick.  
  
"I'm sorry Marth-"   
  
"Sorry, whatever for, my dear girl you were amazing! You proved yourself, I always knew you weren't like the rest of us."   
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"I wouldn't have had the strength to face down the man who killed my family and still manage not to hurt him and more so you were polite. That my dear was the most amazing thing I have ever seen."  
  
She hugged Amber tightly, so tight for a moment Amber felt her ribs were about to crack, then she was released just as suddenly.   
  
"It was not anything special Martha, I just kept my place in society."   
  
"No your not a peasant Amber. If anything you are a Queen among peasants."   
  
"I wish I was Martha but I'm nothing special. In fact I would rather run away than stay here much longer.", Amber sighed.  
  
Martha smiled softly. "If you run away I'll miss you, child. You are a ray of sunshine in these days of darkness and gloom.", her face softened further. "Just like your mother you are."  
  
Amber smiled. The words melted her heart. "Do not fret Martha, I have no plans of leaving just yet. Though Ruin did offer to take me away. I doubt Boris would let me leave, while Bryan would probably pay for the postage."  
  
Enrique shuddered. "I hated him as a child. I hate him more now."  
  
"What, now that he's a member of the Barons' army?"   
  
Martha laughed. "He was a vicious child before, now he's sadistic."  
  
"I'll agree with you there, that's for sure."  
  
Martha stood up and brushed wiped her hands on her apron. "Well for your amazing performance, you can have the day off."   
  
"Martha, are you sure?"   
  
"Of course, for good behavior."  
  
Amber grinned and threw her arms round Martha before racing down the path towards the town.   
  
Amber hurried down the street smiling happily to herself. She had the rest of the day left and she would use well by seeking out Ruin and spending as much time as possible with her best friend. The market was on today, another one of her favorite ways to spend the day was shopping for old trinkets which people had brought with them from Earth. They weren't considered much by normal people's standards but to her they were like buried treasure. She liked to imagine the owner and life which they had back on Earth. It was her favorite hobby. Bryan had made fun of her hobby but Amber enjoyed it. It was because of this hobby that Amber had met Sonia. She had been in the library researching her newest antique relic when she had come across the meek young book worm who had locked herself in the back room with a forset, a ugly 10 legged creature which had a taste for flesh and dust. Amber had squashed the offending creature with her staff and Sonia had declared herself forever in Amber's debt.  
  
Amber grinned at the memory and then at the market. She dug deep into her coat pocket and pulled out a handful of Arupies. She grimaced. She really shouldn't be wasting her Arupies in the market, but still she couldn't really resist the urge to take her money and retrieve another trinket. She was crossing the street when she noticed the mousy haired young woman scurrying in her direction.   
  
"Sonia where are you racing to in such a hurry?"  
  
Sonia looked up meekly. "Blessed be Amber, what are you doing out of work? You are not skiving are you?"  
  
"No, I was released form my duties earlier due to the fact that the Baron visited with the ministry of hygiene.  
  
Sonia's blue eyes widened. "The Baron was there?"   
  
That was not good. Amber was well known to have a deep well voiced hatred for the Baron, it was only for the fact that she had good and much trusted friends that she was able to denounce the Baron without getting put in jail. But Amber in the same room as the Baron and still walking round in daylight was almost inconceivable.   
  
"Yes Sonia Voltaire was there."   
  
"What did he say?"  
  
Amber shrugged. "Nothing much. But it was very strange. Hey why don't you come to the market with me and I can tell you all about."   
  
Sonia made a face. "I would really like to but I can't. Owen ruined my filing system and now I must re alphabetize everything again, and that in itself will take up much of the day and it may possibly take me into the night, which would be regrettable seeing that we have the rally tonight."  
  
Amber shuddered at the mention of that cursed word. "Oh well, if you have to work. That's ok, I'll just find Ruin, I was going to find her anyway but well never mind, maybe later."  
  
Sonia smiled relieved then hurried across to the Archives. Amber turned round and noticed a figure standing at the corner dressed in an old weather beaten cloak and helmet. It seemed to be watching her. Amber stared at it and sighed when the figure backed down and retreated into the alley. Although he had been dressed as a lowly peasant he had an air of royalty as he retreated. Was he the Freyan king? Amber wondered and if he was what was he doing here in the town where the Baron himself resided, the man should have been with the rebels, instead of here in the one town where the Rebels hadn't formed a group. And if the Freyan King was here did that mean his Captain was here too? Amber looked round for any sign of the ally of the young man.   
  
Her gaze collided with Bryan's who was watching her from outside the Tavern. Amber sighed and turned towards him. There was no use letting him know that the prisoner was possibly here in the Baron's own back yard. She dropped into the chair opposite Bryan who watched her intently from over the rim of his enameled chalice.   
  
"Lost your friends Amber?", he sneered.  
  
Amber swept her gaze up and down the length of his body and her stomach churned. She let the disgust show through in her voice. "No, just my appetite."  
  
He smiled blandly. "The Baron doesn't take kindly to slackers."   
  
"Yeah? Well I'll have you know that because the Baron was so pleased with my work today I got the rest of the day free.", she boasted. "And I plan to spend it constructively which is not spending it in the Tavern drinking my life away."  
  
He leered at her. "You might be fun drunk."  
  
"No ones fun drunk."  
  
"I'm very fun drunk."  
  
"There's a first then.", she waved away the waitress who was watching her interaction with Bryan with interest. "Is that your Captain?"  
  
Bryan sat up in his chair and looked in the direction Amber was pointing, then snorted. "That man swans round with his badges but I tell you when the shit hits the fan I'll be leading the men to victory."   
  
She rolled her eyes. "You? You wish."  
  
He slumped forward on the table. His face was bleary and unshaven, his hair unkempt. It was a good look on some men, on others like Bryan it was scary. She wrinkled her nose. The smell that emanated from him was stomach churning.   
  
"There is no way in hell that you would be able to lead a group of men into a bath tub never mind a war.", she muttered scornfully. "Wait, you said when the shit hits the fan, what shit and what fan?"  
  
He shrugged.   
  
"You don't know much do you? You must be very happy.", she pushed herself to her feet.   
  
He stared at her. "How do you work that out?"  
  
"Well, Ignorance being bliss and everything and let's face it you are extremely Ignorant.", with that as her parting remark she walked away from the Tavern.   
  
She headed down the street and went to find Ruin.  
  
***  
  
The evening arrived cool and crisp bringing with it the shadows which changed the whole look of town. Amber whistled cheerfully as she and Ruin walked down the street from Ruin's home. They linked their arms together and headed towards the town centre. The moon cast it's eerie light over the town and the people as they trooped to the town centre from work. The nippiness in the air stung their cheeks  
  
"Why does it always get so cold when we're obliged to go to these rallies?"   
  
Ruin paused from rubbing her gloved hands and cast a glance at Amber. "I have no idea, but look at it this way, the cold will force us to stay awake."   
  
"Or force us to be comatose."  
  
Ruin laughed. "True. But maybe it makes it easier for the Baron to brainwash those of weaker minds."  
  
Amber tugged coat closer to her. "That must be it. No other dictator would make his people stand out in the bloody cold just to hear him the same thing over and over again."  
  
Ruin nodded. "Cruelty, thy name is Lord Voltaire."  
  
"Why does he referr to himself as a Baron anyway?!"   
  
"What sort of name is Voltaire? Did they use that name back on Earth?"  
  
"Nope, but-", Amber broke off at a shout from across the street, the door swung open and a figure flew out. She watched the figure and grimaced as Bryan let out a volley of Oaths.   
  
"That man is an oaf!"  
  
"That man is not a man, he's the spawn of the devil.", Amber replied.  
  
Ruin nodded. "That could possibly be true."  
  
They both gave him one last look, then continued down the street following the rest of the residents. A figure in the shadows caught Amber's eye. She nudged Ruin and they both glanced in the direction the figure stood watching them. Beside her she felt Ruin stiffen then as the figure turned away she relaxed.   
  
"That's the second time I've seen that figure today. I think it's the Freyan Emperor."  
  
"Hmmm, I'm not so sure." Ruin stared at his receeding figure and sighed, pushing her best friend forward down a side alley. "Come on, you have to get changed."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&&&~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
{Amber} So who's the cloaked figure?  
  
{Sae} That's for me and Zadien to know and you to find out.  
  
{Amber} Zadien knows?  
  
{Sae} Oops shouldn't have said that.  
  
*Amber runs off with Sae chasing after her*  
  
{Sae} Um, I'll update later, honestly! Amber come back! 


	3. Torture

A.N. Hello. I'm back again, putting this up instead of doing my assignment on communication. Whoops. But I'm in a good mood because I got to watch the mighty ducks so watch out for an update of my other fic soon since I got more inspiration for it. One whole month until Lord of the Rings: Return of the King is out. I can't wait. Anyway I want to shout out to all those who reviewed, after Z.D. guided them here, though I'm very pleased she did. So to my reviewers well here we go:   
  
Azn*Pyro*Arcada: I'm glad you like this chapter. It means a hell of a lot to me that authoresses who's work I admire and enjoy can find the same pleasure from my work. It makes me happy and gives me the encouragement to keep writing.  
  
ChibiTari: Bryan is EVIL!!!! Evil I tell you!! *Gems slams hand over mouth* Ephil, mmpf *throws Gems into corner* Ok, over that now. I'm glad I got Yami in character. She's really cool and I really think her and Johnny make the cutest couple. Hurry up with the next chapter Tari!  
  
Rayne-Neko-Punk: Language is mostly Irish. I use Irish a lot in my fics. If I get stuck Zadien translates for me since she got an 'A' in Ordinary Irish so she's good at it. But we learn Irish in school though it's pointless since only 15% (probably less) speak Irish in Ireland. I'm glad you like this fic. I like writing it.   
  
Yin: I love Enrique, he's always cheerful but sometimes really stupid and all you want to do is either hit him on the upside of his head, or hug him. He's just that cute. But unfortunately Enrique really doesn't get a good deal here in this chapter. And Bryan and Voltaire are pretty damn evil!!! *holds fingers in sign of cross*  
  
ChRiSTiZ: WAI!! You gave me such a nice long review. I love long reviews, they're just so much better than reading two words like 'Update soon'. I mean; hello I just updated, the least they could do is say something about the bloody chapter to show me they read it instead of skimming to the bottom. And how do you respond to such a review? Anyway back to your review. I have to make the chapters long because this story is going to be very long and very twisty. It's gonna be complex because Z.D. and I came up with the whole plot one night and it took us roughly most of the night, so um, yeah it's gonna get strange. But I like the whole deal. Sonia isn't exactly sick as such, it's just Amber doesn't really know what's wrong and has just interpreted it wrong because she's too wrapped up in her own problems. Yeesh I just wrote alot.   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade, and Kai's eyes are not blue, they are brown and Tyson should not have Kai's eyes. Zadien owns Amber, Tari owns Miyami. And I own Sonia. She's having a baby, but not in my fic. I repeat not in any of my fics. Talk to another author about that one. Heheheh!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Destroying my spirit, stealing my heart.  
  
By: Spitfire_Sae  
  
Chapter Three: Torture  
  
~~~***~~~~******~~~~  
  
She wandered down the earthen street, her silver hair tucked under a hat and her slender body disguised by a bulky coat. Her feminine looks were hidden from view; so to many people she'd resemble a simple peasant boy; or that was the look she was going for. She glanced down another alley and groaned.  
  
"I'm so lost!", the former Princess Miyami Kinomiya muttered.   
  
A snigger behind her made her realize she wasn't alone and still it made her feel that she was more alone. Where was her family? How could they leave her? Here alone amongst these people who she didn't know, never mind understand. It was insensitive, and neglecting their responsibilities; namely her. She whirled round as someone sniggered again. She managed to muffle a scream and keep her fist down as she found her self face to wrinkled dirty face with one of the Kanites. He had extremely bad B.O. and dirt was smeared over his face, nothing a bath couldn't cure, but that was something these people never seemed to participate in. She wrinkled her nose in distaste.  
  
"Real purdy mace, ye got there, buoy!"  
  
Miyami clutched her weapon tighter. Never mind this mans B.O., what about his breath? Toothpaste was invented millenniums ago, and this guy was, gross!! He had never been to the dentist either by the looks of it. His teeth were rotten, and yellowish brown. He reached out his stained hand with those thick long curled nails to touch her face. She jumped back immediately taking up her fighting stance. The man shrank back a little, then jeered on by his companions moved closer.  
  
'Please do not make me do this?', she prayed. If she fought, the news would get back to the Baron and her cover would be ruined and then the Baron would catch up with them and kill her and even worse kill her father. So instead of fighting she turned and fled down the alley.  
  
She kept running till, she rounded the corner. She slowed to a walk and moved down Tavern street, always looking over her shoulder for Demolition Boys, Bio-volt soldiers, and stupid old men who were after a quick fix. She shuddered. A noise behind her had her looking over her shoulder so that she didn't see the man backing out of the Tavern, until she had collided with him.  
  
Johnny McGregor looked round annoyed at the person who had knocked him down. Fair enough he had been the person in the wrong, but he wouldn't admit that, as far as he was concerned the person should have been looking where it was going. He stared at the Kid fixing his scarf round his face. The boy couldn't have been more than 14, he supposed, probably younger, he was too thin to be older even though the clothes gave him bulk. The eyes were a brilliant silver set in alabaster skin. There was fear in those eyes, fear and anger and something else he could fathom, but something in them made something in him awaken and respond. Startled by his reaction and scared he backed away from the kid and covered his fear with Anger and defence.  
  
"Would you watch where you're wandering kid!"  
  
The anger in the boys eyes flared and a muffled reply came from behind the scarf. Johnny couldn't help the smile that played on his lips, obviously the kid had meant to insult him but the scarf had been wrapped so tightly around his face that it couldn't be heard. The kid had noticed it too as just above the scarf a tinge of red had come into the kids skin, a startling contrast to the paleness of his complexion.   
  
"Care to say that again?"  
  
The eyes turned crimson with anger, but instead of taking off his scarf, he moved his hand and the mace that Johnny hadn't seen knocked him off his feet onto the ground with a thud. Now the kid was laughing, he could see it in the quick shakes of the kids skinny shoulders 'Not for long', Johnny thought as he flipped himself to his feet. Before he could swing for the boy another person was thrown out of the Tavern and into Johnny. Johnny was knocked into the boy, who ended up crushed under him. The silver eyes widened. And suddenly Johnny knew why. The clothes may have made the boy look bigger but it wasn't thick enough to hide to two soft mounds on the kids chest.   
  
"Some boy!", Johnny muttered, a smile tugged the corners of his mouth.   
  
The kids eyes had a hint of terror in them. Johnny pulled the scarf and hat roughly off the boy, and stood staring at the young woman pressed beneath him. She was incredibly beautiful. The eyes had been an amazing contrast to the skin like molten silver pools framed by alabaster, but the lips and hair complimented the picture indeed. A small mouth with lips like rubies and her hair was long straight as an arrow and copper. Her nose was small and buttonish, which was set off by the sharpness off her finely sculpted cheek bones, her silvery blue eyebrows were high and arched creating a nice outline for her eyes, and her chin showed a hint of stubbornness. There was now a suggestion of blush just a long the cheekbones which made her look more alive, so her skin wasn't pure white, and just as well, Johnny thought, otherwise she mightn't look real. The over all effect was startling and striking and reminded him some what of a canine.  
  
  
  
He stepped back to get a full view of her. The clothes hid much of her and were definitely not flattering, but he could imagine. He could see legs encased in black, shapely and long, and he imagined the rest of her was pretty similar. His eyes averted back to hers, and the initial shock he'd seen before had turned to anger, while his awe turned to amusement. The smiled spread across his face slow and satisfied.  
  
"What?", her voice gruff, still stuck in the male role.   
  
At least he hoped that she was still pretending, that voice wasn't suited to her beauty, it would ruin the whole effect of the silverlocks. He coughed back a laugh at his little pun.   
  
"Now why would such a attractive thing as yourself, go and pretend to be a boy?"  
  
"I am a boy!", she stated, still in the male role.  
  
He laughed. "Maybe you should look in a mirror. Now answer the question."  
  
"Why pretend to be a boy? So I can be insulted and ordered about by jerks like yourself."  
  
He was too busy marveling at her voice to be insulted. It was like cream over coffee, as though the sleep hadn't be completely cleared out of it, sultry, soft and low with a feminine lilt on some of the words.  
  
Her eye brows raised as he continued to gaze at her.   
  
"Hey, you still alive in there?"  
  
Embarrassed at being caught out, he thought back on how she had knocked him to the ground and then launched his attack.  
  
"Yeah, maybe it was that knock to the ground that wiped my concentration."  
  
"Oh sorry, did I give you a brain hemorrhage?", she asked scathingly.  
  
Beautiful and witty, things weren't going so bad.  
  
"So what were you trying to say after you knocked into me? It sounded a little muffled."  
  
Her cheeks bloomed pink, but the anger remained.  
  
"I did not knock into you. You were walking backwards out of a tavern. Probably drunk or something!", she muttered more to herself as she wrinkled her nose in disgust.  
  
"I resent that. I do not drink. I merely had business with the management of this fine establishment. So are you going to introduce yourself?"  
  
"Why should I?", she retorted.   
  
He blinked at her.   
  
"Fine, I'm Yami!"  
  
"You do realize that if you were to fake a name, a female name may be more believable."  
  
"Yes, I do realize that but I am bored of this conversation. I have to go."  
  
Shocked at her leaving so quickly, Johnny grasped for something to keep her there.  
  
"Are you here with anyone?"  
  
"I do not see how that is any of your business?"   
  
"No but I'm interested."  
  
"NO, no I am here on my own."  
  
He didn't believe her but saying so would only make her leave so he said nothing. Except: "Here is a piece of advise, you are too pretty to be disguised as a boy, try changing your hair colour or something else."  
  
She shook her head. "I cannot do that!"  
  
She turned away, just as a pair of soldiers turned down the alley. She grabbed Johnny and hauled him into the side alley, till the Vestites marched past. Johnny turned to her.   
  
"So your hiding from soldiers, more importantly, the Barons soldiers. Hmm!", time for a little   
  
black mail he believed, "Tell me your name and I won't tell the soldiers that you were here."  
  
She stared at him. "No, you'll just tell them anyway if you knew my name."  
  
He gazed at her, his violet eyes tracing the line of her features. She felt very uncomfortable with this man, especially when he had seemed to be undressing her with his eyes. Not that he wasn't good looking but she really didn't want to be near him alone. Though he was incredibly handsome that couldn't be denied. He had flamed shaped red hair, it was the first thing you noticed about him, that and his eyes, a deep and clear violet. They were set in cream skin which was unblemished and smooth, but his features were strong and masculine. There was a light in his eyes that suggested he was cavalier and audacious. She wondered was he any good with the daggers, she had wanted to learn how to shoot, but her father had decided that with a daggers she wouldn't be able to fight when everyone came up close and with a sword she'd end up stabbing herself. Hence why she had her mace.  
  
He wore black trousers and leather boots. Over that was a long sleeved burgundy tunic and a short sleeved violet velvet cloak tied at the waist with a black belt. He moved stirring her out of her study. She looked up.   
  
"If I tell you my name you promise not to tell anyone that I was here?"  
  
He nodded. "Look, my names Johnny."  
  
"My name really is Yami."  
  
He glanced at her skeptically. "Interesting name.", they stood in the alley for a while in silence.   
  
"Do you have another weapon apart from your daggers?"  
  
Johnny glanced at her surprised. "Nope I just have my daggers."  
  
"I always wanted daggers, but I wasn't allowed."  
  
"Your parents?"  
  
"Yeah. But my mothers dead and my father is in the dungeons"  
  
He nodded softly unsure what to say. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't be, I'll get him out."  
  
"What age are you?", he asked, watching her expression. It was clear that she was still pained by their death so he wanted to change the topic.  
  
"Nineteen."  
  
"Why are you running from the Baron?"  
  
Startled she stared at him, then she shrugged. "I don't agree with him."  
  
"He wouldn't send his guards after you just for that. And he definitely wouldn't send his Demolition boys.", he watched her eyes round with terror, and he cursed himself for scaring her. She didn't know about the Demolition Boys, well it was better she found out now rather than get caught of guard later. It was strange for such a young woman to be wandering these parts herself.  
  
"Are you sure you're on your own?"  
  
She smiled wryly. "Yes quite sure"  
  
"Well the soldiers are gone, and I have to meet up with my friends so I must be off. Good luck on your journey Yami. I hope you don't get caught."  
  
Before Miyami could answer he walked off. She watched him go and as she did she felt a twinge of disappointment.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
They looked up as the door opened and Boris raced out. His black hair flapping behind him, like an extension of his cloak. Amber and Ruin exchanged glances and suppressed a smile.   
  
"Boris you look like you're in a hurry."  
  
Boris sent Ruin a murderous glare. "Amber you must hurry to the rally, the Baron has expressly wished that you attend."  
  
Amber's jaw dropped and beside her she felt Ruins do the same.   
  
"What? Why?"  
  
Boris shook his head. "I don't know."  
  
"I do."  
  
Boris and Amber looked at Ruin.   
  
"What's he doing this time?"  
  
Ruin sent him a worried glance. "He's looking for a wife."  
  
Amber's eyes widened. "Oh no, He couldn't think, No. No! I won't go!"  
  
She turned to head into the house.   
  
"Amber!". Boris called out, startling her with the harshness of his voice.   
  
Slowly and reluctantly she turned round.   
  
"You know you can't refuse him. It would be dangerous to do so."  
  
"But why does he want me?"  
  
Ruin and Boris exchanged glances. Boris knew exactly what Voltaire wanted with Amber and he also knew Amber wouldn't do it, and that would get her killed. He didn't want to see that happen.   
  
"Amber just go get changed then we'll go see him. Does that sound fair?"  
  
"Not really, but I don't see that I have much of a choice.", she turned on her heel and went into the house.  
  
When she was gone, Ruin turned to Boris. "How can you let her go? Maybe I could take her away with me. For her safety. I could train her, help her harness her energy."  
  
Boris shook his head. "She cannot run from him. He's too strong. I doubt though that he will harm her. If she just says yes."  
  
"She won't and I don't think you should encourage her to say yes. Just think what he would do to her. She'd be a slave. Not his wife but his slave. He murdered her family."  
  
"That maybe true but he will kill her too if she refuses."  
  
"If she does, will you protect her?", Ruin challenged.  
  
Boris looked away. "I have no choice in the matter."  
  
It didn't answer the question the way Ruin hoped. "If you don't, I will track you down and by the goddesses sake I will summon forth the largest powers in this universe to rip you apart!"  
  
Boris glared at her. "Do not think you can threaten me sorceress."  
  
"I am a high priestess now Boris. And I will not stop to think about the consequences should you try to cross me by attacking that girl. She is like my sister and I will protect her with my last breath."  
  
Boris smiled tight lipped at the young woman standing before him. He realized that she would fight him if Amber did die. It was good for Amber to have such a strong and loyal friends but this girl would not cross him.   
  
***  
  
Amber sighed heavily as she shuffled into the town square accompanied by Ruin and Boris. She looked round at many of the other people in the cold onyx courtyard which was lit by rose quartz lanterns. They didn't seem to mind coming out in the freezing cold and standing still for a full hour to hear the Baron's pep talk, in fact some seemed to be looking forward to it. She frowned, most of them must have been brainwashed, there was no other explanation. Beside her Boris let out a long bored sigh. He hated these things, she knew that well enough, he'd grumble about the sermon the whole journey home then fix himself a nice shot of mead as compensation. She smiled grimly as she hooked her hand through his broad arm and nestled her head on his shoulder. She could feel him nod a greeting to a few work mates. She scanned the crowd and caught the eye of a few people from her own job who were moving closer to the front. She offered them a brief smile before returning her ocher eyes to gazing off into space.  
  
"Like lambs to the slaughter."  
  
Amber angled her head to look at Ruin. "What makes you say that?"   
  
Ruin stared at her hard before searching the crowd again. "At least back here some of the speech is drowned out."  
  
Amber grinned. "Oh so that's why we stand back here, and I was thinking it was so I don't embarrass you two when I fall asleep."  
  
Boris nudged her, before returning his gaze to the front altar. "Keep it down Amber. He has eyes and ears everywhere, especially tonight."  
  
Amber shrugged while Ruin stepped closer. "Amber feels invincible since her brush with the Baron."  
  
Boris narrowed his eyes. "What brush with the Baron?", he asked aiming for casual.  
  
"At work today."  
  
Boris expression grew suddenly serious. Ruin watched it with interest. It seemed the Baron wasn't sticking with the plan, which made sense, since, in her opinion, Boris wasn't complying with the plan. He was developing feelings for the chosen one and that was probably against the plan rules. Ruin didn't trust the man and she liked it less that Amber was with him in the first place instead of with her uncle the Imperial Sovereign of Dnaleri. She would be much safer with true family. Ruin had tried many times to Persuade the man to let her take Amber to her uncle's but Boris had obstinately refused, and that was when the suspicion arose. She had yet to prove her theories and she wouldn't tell Amber of them just yet.   
  
"Why was the Baron at your work today?"   
  
"He and the ministry for hygiene came. It was a shock inspection, quite literally. I was extremely shocked when I heard, nearly gave poor Martha a heart attack.", she laughed at the memory.  
  
Boris smiled. "Did he say anything to you?"   
  
She opened her mouth then thinking better of it, closed it.   
  
"Amber?"  
  
"Well-", she made a face. "You are not going to like this. Not one bit."   
  
"I dislike it even more when you delay informing me."  
  
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Well he caught me when I was cleaning the lavatory."  
  
"So?"   
  
"Tell him how you clean the lavatory.", Ruin prompted helpfully.  
  
Amber shot her a murderous look then turned back to Boris. "I was getting to that part. Well, you see, I kind of...conjure up.....a whirlpool.....to clean the bowl, you understand.", she hurried on. "And the Baron happened to walk in just as the whirlpool was doing it's job. I think he possibly might have seen it. And then he started talking to me like he knew me, well. But the weird thing was that although he didn't hurt, I think he might've, wanted to."  
  
Boris didn't say anything for a few minutes as he mulled over what she had just said. If it was true and it was likely that it was then that meant the Baron was stepping up his plans to manipulate Amber. He didn't like not being consulted on this. He looked round him and his gaze collided with Bryan who smiled mischievously. He may be his son but the young man was becoming a stranger. He caught him in Amber's room the night before just staring at her and it might have been his imagination but he thought Bryan might have been salivating over her, but there had definitely been a murderous glint in his eyes. Amber was no longer safe with him it seemed. His thoughts were cut off by a gasp in the crowds and a movement on the pulpit.   
  
Amber smiled at Martha who was standing a few feet away, but Martha didn't smile back instead she motioned for Amber to look up at the pulpit. Frowning Amber turned her gaze to the pulpit reluctantly. She gasped. Eyes wide she stared at the Figure being tied to the Pole. He was naked and covered with what looked to be tar. Although it was hard to see who it was, what with his entire body black and a large barrel of fire directly behind him and to the sides; Amber recognized him.  
  
"Enrique.", she breathed.   
  
Ruin looked at her concerned, then at the pulpit and quickly shut her eyes against the image. She pressed her fingers to her eyes then turned her head so that her gaze was safely turned form the young man tied to the pole. She placed an arm around Amber and held her close. Then she looked at Boris. His eyes were glazed over by what he had seen.   
  
"Why is he up there?"   
  
"By god, I think they're charging that man for treason.", a voice in the crowds cried out.  
  
A murmur in the crowds rose. Amber pulled away from Ruin and stared up at Enrique.   
  
"Did they do that to my Parents?", her voice was so childlike and pitched that Boris had to look at her to make sure it was she that had asked.  
  
She was staring up at him, eyes filmed and lip trembling. He looked away giving her the answer she had dreaded.   
  
There was an explosion and the Baron arose onto the Pulpit. "This man you see before you is charged with Treason. Look on him and see your death those who would dare to challenge my authority."  
  
There was a shuffle in the crowd, and the murmurs were of horror and denial. There was sound behind them and they turned just as Sonia broke through.   
  
"Blessed be."   
  
"Yeah, you too.", Amber murmured distractedly as she stared at Enrique.   
  
"So it's begun? I was hoping it hadn't yet."  
  
"So you knew this was going to happen?"   
  
"I had an inkling. Owen has to represent him.", Sonia's gaze never strayed from the figure.   
  
"Awfully difficult thing to do. The Baron is giving evidence. I doubt there's anyway that Enrique can escape without death."  
  
"What's the charge Sonia?", Boris demanded.   
  
Sonia shrank back from the intimidating man. "Oh, um, well he's being charged of lusting after the Barons betrothed."  
  
"Betrothed? The Baron hasn't got a betrothed yet.", Ruin replied.  
  
"Who is it?", Amber asked fiercely.  
  
"No one knows yet."  
  
"I'll wager that Enrique had no idea who the woman was."  
  
"That's not the point Amber. He was caught lusting by the Baron. There is no argument.", she motioned for them to be quiet as another figure joined the Baron.   
  
"What is this mans act of treachery?", the other man, Amber presumed was Owen demanded authoritatively.  
  
"This man's act of treachery was lusting after my betrothed."  
  
"Who is your Betrothed, my lord? Is she here in the court? And can you point her out as to give evidence?"  
  
The Baron stared down at Owen. "No you may not question her. She is too upset as it is."   
  
Amber shook her head. As she looked up she met Enriques' gaze. He tried to tell her something with his baby blue eyes but he suddenly jerked forward. A soldier with a large wooden log with was already in flames swung it into Enriques' back. Enrique screamed in agony and made Amber want to throw up. She was glad to see she wasn't the only one as a few men and women scurried to the side and began to heave.   
  
"Typical his betrothed wouldn't even bother to speak for Enrique."  
  
Sonia shook her head. "That was his only hope that she would defend him, but she isn't even here to speak for him."   
  
Amber turned to look round and scanned the crowd for someone who looked guilty. Several did, but she didn't believe any of them were the Baron's betrothed. For a start most of them were men and the others were elderly women.   
  
"Then we must ask the people. Do we find this man guilty?", Owen asked reluctantly.  
  
"Wait where's the defence?", Amber asked.   
  
"There is none. No one will speak for Enrique.", Sonia replied.   
  
"But surely. Why can I not speak for him?", she asked urgently.  
  
"Where you with him all day?"  
  
A thought crossed Ruin's mind but she blocked. This was not the time nor the place. Several people had to be sacrificed to keep the chosen one safe. But it was a shame that it had to be a friend of hers. But many innocents were killed to win a war. But still... She looked round to see if she could see any body who could help Enrique, when her gaze collided with the figure from the shadows. The one Amber believed was the Freyan Emperor. She stared at him and a flicker of recognition passed in his dark eyes. She began to move towards him when the Barons voice rang out.  
  
"This man is found guilty by the ministry for justice. His punishment will be to suspended above the pit of doom in the Public square with his wrists cut and holes in his feet. Death by blood loss will be slow but final."  
  
"NO!", a scream tore through the night.   
  
The murmuring crowd fell to silence and turned to look at the young woman standing by herself in the middle of the aisle between the people. Ruin whirled round recognizing the voice. Amber stood there on her own. The scream had been wrenched from her mouth before she even realized she'd been thinking the word. And now she stood there a solitary frame in the row facing down the Baron. She stepped forward.   
  
The Baron watched her. All his life he had dealt with people who were afraid of him and he crushed every one else, but right this minute he was facing a young woman with anger and hatred in her and every bit of it was directed at him and he wouldn't do anything to her yet because of who she was. The Prophecy had spoke of the two young women, Siamese twins who would save the world and lead the rebellion against an evil warlord. He had come across the prophecy first when his nanny had told him. She had believed it to be just a legend but he knew better and he knew he would be the warlord, hence why when he had heard that Siamese twins had been born in his town he had at first waited for proof. He wasn't foolish and he wasn't a cold blooded murderer without motif. No he waited and on their Fourth birthday the eldest child had lit her candles with a breath. So he had her and her parents murdered under the charge of treachery, it had been easy, he had just planted important documents in their house and then had it searched.   
  
He had let the youngest one live because even at such a young age he had felt a stirring for her and instead he had watched her grow up under the care of his most loyal man. She had become an amazing woman overcoming the most interesting of obstacles. Though he had disapproved of her choice in friends, the sorceress and the librarian. He had searched high and low for a way to separate her from the sorceress but the woman covered her tracks well, almost as well as he did. And now he stood facing down the woman he intended to marry and whose magick would give him the ultimate power. She could be his defeat or indeed, his success. She could make or break him. Right now he was sure she wanted to break him.  
  
She walked towards him, and with her came a wind of hurricane strength. She walked through it like she would walk through a breeze. She focused on the Baron. She didn't even notice the people being picked up and dropped off, or those who flew right past her, nor those who clasped onto anything which would save them from leaving the ground. Boris hurried to find shelter in the side of buildings trailing Sonia behind him. The Soldiers had the same idea; they left Enrique and hurried to the buildings. Ruin stood behind Amber safe behind her own Mental shelter.   
  
The Baron watched the ocher eyed teen carefully before backing up. She turned her eyes on the barrels. With a whoosh the flames rose higher and then exploded into nothingness. The wind kept blowing while Amber stepped up onto the pulpit. She turned her sights onto the limp figure of Enrique. His eyes watched her pleadingly.   
  
"Amber. Be careful. The Baron is not alone."  
  
Amber nodded recognizing her spirits warning. "Enrique, cabhraigh se sios."  
  
There was a scream behind her. She whirled round as Bryan charged at her brandishing Xcaliber. She watched the glint of metal cut through the air aimed at her head. Using all of her strength she threw herself into a roll and uncurled herself beside Ruin. Ruin glanced at her and with her grim determination, she pulled a rune and her athame out of the folds of her skirt. She poked the point of the athame through the rune, then threw the rune into the air and conjured Amber's battling staff. Amber caught her staff as it spiraled back to earth. She arced it to parry the next blow from Bryan. He thrusted again and yet again she parried. Thrust, thrust, parry, parry, parry, thrust. She angled the staff and the stick grazed his ear. He let out a ferocious roar and kicked out, his foot solidly colliding with Amber's knee. Her leg turned to jelly and collapsed underneath her. As he went in for the finishing blow she swept his feet out from under him and with the help of her staff she hoisted herself to her feet and limped to the pulpit.   
  
She glanced to the pole as the sky clouded over and the heavens opened and it began to rain, great big fat wet drops that hit her face and rolled down her nose. Lightning speared the sky and illuminated the scene below her. Ruin was tending to Enrique with her ointments and runes, while Sonia was tapping everything into her data pad to record into the large computer in the library. Boris was standing back while soldiers were fighting off some very unhappy villagers. Most had gone home and the square looked empty dark and wet. There were several fires which licked out of the upturned barrels. Voltaire was standing back on his pulpit calling for every one to be calm. His voice rang out and grinded on her nerves. She advanced on him. He watched her and saluted her with his glass.   
  
"Very well done Amber. Quite the little show you put on."   
  
She bowed mockingly. "I can give you a great finale."  
  
He tsked. "Don't get above your station young lady."   
  
"I'm not above it. I am directly at my station. Look around Voltaire, you're out numbered. Your men are too busy with the villagers, your cowering on your stand and Bryan the bloody traitor is on his ass. While if worst comes to worst I've got Boris and Ruin to help me.", she smiled stepping forward.   
  
Suddenly she was flung into the air. She hit the ground with a sickening thud. There was a shout and then everything went black. 


	4. Betrayal

Destroying my spirit, stealing my heart  
  
By: Spitfire_Sae  
  
Chapter four: Betrayal  
  
Didication: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Ice Archer girl, my first official reviewer. No offence to the other guys I love you loads, but you were brought to me by Zadien, and Ice Archer Girl read my fic without prompting, I think. So thankies Ice Archer Girl! Oh and check out her fics, they're really good.   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade. I don't own Amber either, she belongs to Zadien, check out her fics, and check out our combined fic FIGHTING SPIRIT by Spitfire_zadien  
  
_____________________________________=====_____________________________  
  
"Kai, wake up!"  
  
A gush of water sloshed onto his face. Kai's eyes snapped open and he jerked up into a sitting position, spitting out water which had invaded his air ways. Furious he looked up and regarded his most trusted companion and Captain, who was watching him with an amused expression on his handsome face.   
  
"What is the meaning of this, Johnny?"  
  
"I apologize my Liege, but you seemed to be having a nightmare and it is imperious that we move today. We cannot stay here any longer, and now that you have recuperated from your escape, we must leave. The soldiers will be here soon."  
  
Kai, who had woken fully during that speech, scrambled to his feet and immediately began rolling up his rugs. Had it really been days since Johnny had found him, lying unconscious in the woods? It had felt like an age had past, yet he wished he could stay here a little longer. While it was true he had recuperated his strength, he still did not feel quite well enough to begin journeying again. He glanced at Johnny. His face was grim as he stamped out the fire and began to cover it, so that no one would suspect anything. Johnny didn't look up to journeying quite so soon either, but they both knew they had to leave soon or risk getting caught again.   
  
"I got that dream again, Johnny."  
  
Johnny looked up surprised. "Again?"   
  
"Yeah, more vivid this time. I saw her again."  
  
Johnny nodded, knowing exactly who he was referring to. She was the woman aided them both in escaping. She had appeared to him when he had all but given up and renewed his strength and hope again. She was an incredibly beautiful woman but not his type.   
  
"I've never seen her before, so what I wonder is how exactly she got into the Keep and managed to help us?"  
  
"Well, from what you said to me about your escape, she seems to be a sorceress of sorts. And strong."  
  
Kai nodded, he had figured that for himself. He approached his child hood friend and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.   
  
"We should be making our journey now.", Johnny muttered.   
  
Kai nodded. "Where are we going?"   
  
"Tala says he'll meet us in the woods surrounding Kaneite." "Where is Tala?"   
  
Johnny's handsome face turned grim. "He had some work to attend to in Vesta."   
  
"Vesta? But surely he knows that should he be sighted, he'd be recognized immediately.", Kai exclaimed angrily reaching for his dagger as though he was preparing to charge to their friends rescue.  
  
Johnny nodded running his hands through his short reddish hair, his amethyst eyes burning with anger. He had said the exact same thing to his stubborn leader, but Tala wouldn't listen, instead he'd just grabbed his sword and strode to Vesta. Johnny would have chased after him, tackled him and tied him up, but he hadn't wanted to leave his friend lying out cold in the woods.   
  
  
  
Rage coursed through Johnny's veins. Tala had taken advantage of Kai being ill. He knew fine well, had Kai been well, he wouldn't have been able to overcome both of them. Tala had gone at that specific time for a reason. He had probably known how dangerous it was, hence why he hadn't told his companions, rather waiting till they couldn't go after him before deciding to go. Stupid, head strong fool!, Johnny thought angrily. He had taken advantage of them and was now right under the enemies nose.   
  
"He said he had to see a friend. A woman, more like.", at that Johnny allowed himself a smile.   
  
Kai groaned. "Do not judge every body by your standards, my friend."  
  
Johnny chuckled. "At least I'll be able to enjoy myself in Kaneite."  
  
"Well then, we should start now, shouldn't we?"  
  
Johnny gathered up his bed mat and followed the Freyan, glancing up cautiously at the sky. Clouds were streaming over the blue of the sky, the sunlight chasing away the darkness. It'd been a long time since he'd seen the sun. The last couple of weeks had been spent under the canopies of forests and sleeping through the day and traveling by night. His last patrol the night before had revealed that a group of soldiers were making camp nearby, so that was why they were moving during the morning. He would have preferred the cover of darkness, but that wasn't to be.   
  
He hefted his bow on his shoulder. As his fingers ran over the engravings on the wood, he remembered the day his Knight had given it to him. It had only taken months for him to get the hang of the weapon. He had become one of the best archers in the Freyan army and it hadn't taken him long to rise to captain.  
  
He'd enjoyed the challenge, and the chance to repay the royal family for taking him in when he'd been so young. He had been glued to Kai's hip ever since he was young. He had gone to all of Kais' studies and when Kai had to learn certain classes to be future Emperor, Johnny had headed down to the soldiers training ground. It was there he'd learned hand to hand combat and to fight with both a Bow and arrow and a rapier. His rapier was now firmly resting at his side, hidden under his dark violet cloak.   
  
When he'd become older he had found a skill in entertaining the ladies of the Keep, much to Kai's gratitude. Kai found the other Ladies tedious and boring, while Johnny on the other hand didn't bother with personalities. They found him handsome and charming and he tried to remember their names. It worked out well enough for him. Everyone had fun.   
  
He sighed at the memory. Wishing for happier times was not going to make things here better. The only way to do that was to kill the Baron, that and only that would end this worthless war. And the only way to do that was the destroy his power source. He nodded in affirmation of this decision and weaved through the forest which linked the Freyan territory to the small valley of Danite.  
  
___________________________________________________________________________  
  
"What did you think you were doing? I placed her under your care and what happens; when she attacks me, you stand in the shadows. Instead it was your son that saved me, him and the crone."  
  
Amber kept her eyes shut even though the voice was piercing through the blissful darkness. Still although she was sinking into darkness it didn't stop her mind from rolling the phrases round in her head. The son had to be Bryan, was the crone Ruin? No, crone was another name for a sorceress but if the voice belonged to, wait it sounded like the Baron, but that was impossible.   
  
"That may be true, my lord but was it really necessary to fling her onto the ground?", the voice sounded like Boris. Even more impossible. But 'your son'?  
  
"She was attacking me. It was either kill her or wound her."   
  
"I think she'd rather it if you had killed her.", the one that sounded like Boris murmured.   
  
"Did you say something Balkev?"   
  
"No my Lord.",   
  
"That's what I thought."  
  
Amber opened one eye and looked round. Where was she? It wasn't home any way. The room was cold and dark and smelled of smoke and damp. The walls were wood and the ceiling was low and also made of wood. It was quite dark and she could hear the roar of heavy rain on the roof. There was a warm orange glow of a lamp and there was the crackling of a fire. She opened her other eye and looked up at the two figures who were discussing her. It was the Baron and the other was Boris. She froze and closed her eyes hoping that it was just a horrible nightmare and that any minute she would wake up and everything would be back to normal. She cast her mind back to what had happened earlier that night. Oh she had been foolish to try and take on the Baron. What had she been trying to prove? 'Nothing you were trying to save your friend.', the small voice in the back of her voice argued. Everyone was right, she mused, saving others always came with bad consequences for yourself.   
  
"My Lord, what do you plan to do with her?"   
  
"Not that its any of your business but her magick will be a great asset to me and having her as my bride will be a side benefit."  
  
Bride? She was too young to be a bride besides he didn't have brown eyes. She had her priorities. Also he was evil, he had her parents murdered and from the first comment it seemed he had assigned her to Boris. This wasn't good. Everything she had ever believed, every emotion, every memory, every thing wasn't real. The only real thing in her life she supposed had been Bryans' hate for her. That had to be real, there was no way that hatred couldn't be real. Finally she opened her eyes and sat up.  
  
The Baron jumped and Boris stared at her in horror. Suddenly the Baron was at her side.  
  
"Don't move, your still weak, my dear."   
  
"Your dear? I may have lost some of my senses but not the important ones and I am not your dear. I am no ones dear.", She shrugged him off and swung her feet onto the floor.   
  
"You've had a terrible fall."  
  
"Yeah and a equally terrible wake up call."  
  
Boris took a step towards her and she shied away. "Amber?"   
  
"Stay away from me. Both of you.", she looked around wildly searching for an escape route. "Where am I?"  
  
"Your in my secret hut.", Boris answered.   
  
"Oh wonderful, something new to add to my 'everything in my so called life isn't true' list."  
  
The Baron frowned at her then looked at Boris. "What did she mean by that? I do not understand."   
  
"Amber has a habit of transgressing back in to the old slang when she's angry."   
  
"Excuse me, I'm not angry, I'm furious, raging!"  
  
She stood up and the look in her eyes made the men back off. The Baron waved Boris away. With one last reluctant look back Boris exited the hut. The Baron sat down on the bed making the springs groan. She watched him warily.   
  
"What do you want?"   
  
"Your heart. Of course if you cannot give it me then you could give me your hand in marriage."  
  
"That requires giving you my heart. And I won't do that. I would never betray my family."  
  
"You are mine whether you want to be or not!"  
  
"Ok I don't want to be! Saizo, tabhair se dom!"  
  
He smiled approvingly. He was still smiling even when the breeze carried him out the door and even when the door slammed in his face. She flopped down onto the bed and sighed, feeling the lump in her throat increasing. Every thing she had held dear all her life had dissolved in a matter of minutes. She was now engaged to be married to Baron Revolting and her family was lost completely and more to the point her friends were gone, she'd probably never see Ruin again, or Sonia and Enrique or even Martha. The threatening tears spilled over and cascaded down her cheeks.   
  
***  
  
Outside the door the Baron kicked over a stool and smashed his fists into the wall making Boris watch him warily.   
  
"Did she refuse?"   
  
The Baron whirled round and cursed harshly. "The woman is incorrigible. She absolutely refuses and nothing will budge her."  
  
What did he expect? Boris wondered. He had destroyed everything Amber had going for her in that night. Her friends were missing and her family was ruined. She had fought for her life and for her friends life and had been captured in the end. And now the Baron wanted to trap her in marriage so that he could control her and the power she wielded. He was being over optimistic if he believed she would just consent to marriage. She still hated him so much and Boris doubted that would ever change though every one would be in trouble now. The Baron would take out his anger on every one in the keep later.  
  
"She won't budge because speaking frankly she despises you and always will."   
  
"Really?"   
  
Boris nodded watching the Baron worriedly.   
  
"Then if that's the case I want her dead!"  
  
Boris stared at her. "But my Lord-"   
  
"That's an order, kill her Boris, and I want proof of her death."  
  
Boris stormed into the room where Amber was and lifting her up in a fireman's carry carted her out of the hut and into the forest.  
  
***  
  
"Where are we?"   
  
Boris grunted. He had been carrying her for roughly two hours into the darkest heart of the forest. The landscape had become more treacherous, and unrecognizable. It rose and dipped. There were many hidden cliffs and quagmires were common. The canopy was dense and very little sunlight strobed through. He stumbled over a root and Amber let out a yelp. So far she hadn't said much since leaving the hut, just the odd complaint about where they were. There was a screech above them and some branches shook. A twig snapped to their right. The forest was filled with sounds that could have them jumping like a yo-yo if you weren't use to them but after two hours they were getting very use to them. What they still had to get use to was the clammy warm air. There wasn't even a breeze, to change the body temperature. But he had continued on, although his limbs were aching and his muscles were on fire.  
  
Finally he could take no more. He dumped Amber on the ground and collapsed onto a rock beside her huffing and blowing. She sat up blowing her hair out of her eyes indignantly. She brushed her hands on her outfit. Her eyes were almost glowing luminous with anger. There were small beads of sweat on her Ivory skin. She looked round surveying her scenery.  
  
"So we're in the Dark Forest. What are we to be doing here?"   
  
Boris sighed heavily and tugged out a small sword. Amber gave it a disinterested glance then sniffed miserably. "I don't like this place much. I was told many terrible tales about this place from.....from Enrique."  
  
Boris recognized the hitch in her voice. "You saved his life Amber."   
  
"What's up Boris? You've barely talked two words to me since you took me from the hut. I'm not naive, I know the Baron has not let you take me because he is simply fed up of me. Let me guess he wants you to kill me."  
  
His eyes met hers and she could read the remorse in his eyes and felt the echoing fear move through her. She was afraid, she was about to be murdered but it would be better this way, she decided. No more people getting in trouble because of her and no more getting in trouble full stop.   
  
"So how long have you been licking the Barons boots?"   
  
"I was his second in command during the Great war. He was a great man when he was young. Then after the war he had me positioned in his Keep. He use to tell me the prophesy often, then your parents arrived in the city. Your Father who had left the army several years before to go out and make his name and your mother, the sister to the Imperial Sovereign who was heavily pregnant with twins. Siamese twins to be precise. The Baron was obsessed with the pair of you. He made sure that your parents got a good house and good job.", he rubbed his hands over his face. "I wish that I had realized what had happened. He knew that Mariam had to die seeing she was the oldest."   
  
Amber listened soberly. Here was her whole life story being told to her. He was explaining why her parents had been taken away from her. Why her sister was murdered, when she was so young.   
  
"Then he had fallen in love with your mother, or so he believed. He had followed her round the town always trying to talk to her. Kept pestering her, like. Your father became furious. Yet he couldn't do anything. So then he threatened to take you and your mother away. The Baron became angry and decided to have your parents executed for treason, and he put the fear of God into the townsfolk over your sister. No questions were asked about your sister's death."   
  
"Wasn't she killed with my parents?"  
  
"No there would have been an outrage, had the child been murdered then. But when she finally died, well people were scared of her by that stage. They believed it was the right thing to happen."  
  
Amber swallowed the lump in her throat. "What about me?"   
  
Boris sighed. "I persuaded the Baron to let you live. Told him he could use your power to secure his position."   
  
She stared at him aghast. "You, this is all your fault."   
  
He smirked. "The Baron had no one to look after you and as I already had a son, it only made sense to him that I should look after you and bring you up to worship the Baron."   
  
"But you didn't."   
  
He stood up and crossed to the end of a ledge. "No, I knew you were different. I knew you were special. Maybe I could use your powers to make myself more powerful, and in turn take over from the Baron. I could use the resources much better than he ever could. With you at my side, I'd be unstoppable.", he whirled to look at her greed glittering in his eyes.   
  
Amber shuddered. They talked about her as though she wasn't a person, just a thing that would give them great power, and she despised it. She had never been loved in her life, because everyone who had loved her had been killed. Now she realized she was alone in this life, no longer did she have anyone. From now on she had to look after herself, it was just a pity that she didn't have her staff with her. What she needed to do was to wait for when Boris was vulnerable. Let him believe that she was on his side, that she would help him take down the Baron; while he did, she'd seek out the Resistance and then she'd hand both over to them. But how to find the Resistance she wondered? They couldn't be that easy to find, after all the Baron couldn't even find them. She sighed again, and began putting her plan into effect.   
  
"I suppose by helping, I'd be gaining vengeance for my family, right?"  
  
Boris smiled, he was convincing her. "Yes, of course. There would be no better vengeance then the downfall of their murderer. Only....."  
  
"Only what?"  
  
"He wants proof of your death."   
  
"Proof? Oh that may be trouble.", she began to chew her lip fretfully.  
  
They sat in silence pondering over how to get away from the Baron. A bird screeched above them and further down there was the gush of water and the slow rumble of water careering over the cliff. The sound of made her mouth go dry. She shifted restlessly. It was extremely quiet and the quiet made her uneasy. She disliked the tranquillity. Nothing was that quiet and a forest was definitely not quiet. She began to tremble lightly. She stared up at a young juju bird which was hopping about the ground not far from her. It was then that it hit her.   
  
"I know I'm going to hate suggesting this but there was a fable I once read about a young princess who was ordered to death by her evil step-mother. Anyway a woodcutter took her out to the forest and killed a deer instead of her, and brought the deers heart to the stepmother instead of the princess."  
  
"What happened to the Princess?"   
  
"Oh she went into the forest and lived with seven dwarves. I can't remember the rest but it's a happily-ever-after story."  
  
He smiled cheered a little. "Then all we have to do is find a deer. But what is a deer?"   
  
Amber shrugged. "A grass eating animal with horns. Very stream lined though it couldn't fly or swim. It was a very gentle natured."  
  
"So where would I find one of those?"   
  
Her shoulders slumped. "Not on this planet. They were brought here when we emigrated, but they couldn't adapt to the climate, or the atmosphere. It was a shame though. It would be nice if there were more placid creatures in these forests instead of all the predators."  
  
Her eyes flicked nervously to and fro. Boris caught the stiffness in her neck and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.   
  
"There's no need to fear. I have Thor with me.", he assured patting the hammer leaning against his leg, "Besides we should be safe here. The predators don't like the light that much."  
  
She nodded trying not to cringe from his touch. She knew it to be true but still the light wouldn't last for ever and sooner or later the creatures would move closer to investigate the visitors. She had never ventured so far into the forests before, and it occurred to her that she may not get out. They definitely wouldn't be able to succeed on their own. Her death might put them off the track for a few hours maybe even a day but still then they would come.   
  
"Maybe we could kill one of his sentry guards and bring the Baron his heart as proof of my death."  
  
Boris nodded. It was a good feasible plan and it would probably work for a while but still he feared Amber being out here in the real world on her own fleeing for her life. Amber rubbed her wrist fervorously.  
  
"Is your wrist itchy?"   
  
"Just a bit."  
  
He pulled her to her feet and examined the vegetation she had been sitting on. "Bayak root. If the sap touches skin it can give a terrible rash.", he reached out and tugged a leaf out of the ground. "Where there's Bayak root, there's always the leaf of Henle, a natural soother. Here rub this on your wrist. We should get moving soon. It'll be dark in a little while and we have to find a donor for you."  
  
It didn't take long for them to find a sheltered place for them to rest their weary bodies and minds. Boris had lit a fire to keep her warm and to keep the beasts away while he searched the forests for edible roots and other things of nutrition. Amber pulled her cloak tightly around her to fight of the chill and nip of the cold nights air. The sky was already dotted with silver stars, they twinkled and sparkled like diamonds on a piece of blue velvet. They provided her with comfort and with companionship. At least, she thought, counting the stars would keep her mind busy and keep her thoughts from dwelling on those she had left behind in the clutches of that madman.   
  
Her features darkened as she thought back on what the Baron had offered her. Marriage, she shuddered at the mere thought of it, it was a disgusting prospect for someone so young and to him, the murderer of her family. He had toyed with her, watched her her whole life, studied her like a guinea pig in a glass cage. She snapped the twig she was holding for defence with a fierceness that was new to her.  
  
She rubbed her hands together and looked about her. Looking into the fire she could see the sticks descending into charcoal before her very eyes, like her life only the Baron was the fire. She rubbed her temples feeling the dull throb of a headache. She muttered a quick enchantment that Ruin had taught her and felt the pain ease. Every so often her gaze was drawn to the east where she knew her townsfolk would be asleep in their beds while her friends would possibly spare her a passing thought before drifting to the land of nod and eventually forgetting about her.   
  
Although she battled against it she couldn't stop her mind thinking about the next day. From this day on wards her life would never be the same. She was off on a journey, to where she could not dare to guess but it would be far from Vesta and her old life. This new life would put her in constant peril, she knew. She hugged herself against an unbidden shiver of excitement mixed with fear. She would be meeting new people, of that she could be sure and she would have to fight. She felt her pulse hitch at the thought of herself in battle against the Baron.   
  
A snap and shuffle to her left made her jump. To calm her nerves she began to hum a tune she had long forgotten and could not for the life of her remember where she had heard it from. It was a slow lament singing of flora and fauna and clouds and snow. Cheerful things to soothe rather than to tell a tale. When she felt her pulse return to normal she reached down taking her eyes of spot the noise had come from to lift the canteen and took a slug of water, which Boris had fetched from the river before darkness had fallen. After her throat was wetted, she set down the canteen and returned to watching out for Boris.   
  
She supposed she could have run away but there was no chance of her getting out of this forest alive. It was so dangerous for her to be here with Boris, it would be more so on her own. And what good could she do if she was dead? Nothing that was all, so she was better off staying put.   
  
The shadows danced on the backdrop, they made her uneasy. She watched the flames lick the wood that she cast on to the gathering pile and sighed heavily. Waiting for him was making her hungry and tired. If he didn't hurry up soon she would fall into a deep slumber and some creature would come along and grab her, or worse still one of the Barons men might come along her and take her back to him. That thought was enough to have her alert to every sound in the Forest. Glancing up she couldn't see the sky anymore. It was strange as she had looked upon it not so long ago. Maybe a cloud had happened by and blocked out the stars in all their brightness.   
  
Another rustling had her head snapping round. A shadow was approaching her from her left. It shuffled into the clearing muttering silently to itself. From where she sat she could see that it was only a foot high at the most. It's shoulders were broad, too broad, it's neck was slender and a small round head sat on it's skinny neck. Just beside it's neck was a small mound that, Amber believed, was a deformed hunch. It hobbled past the fire and as it did the flames lit up it's face. It's skin was a pale ashen gray, it's eyes were crimson, small and beady. It's hair was purple, or a dark navy/violet. The nose was huge, more like a snout than a nose. The breeze stirred them. It's mouth was a thin line below the snout. It watched Amber warily as it hobbled forth.   
  
"Now what strange creature are you to be gracing these dark forests?", it's voice was strange.   
  
It spoke slowly yet clearly, which was strange as it mouth twisted strangely when it spoke.  
  
"Strange creature? Look in a mirror.", she bit off.  
  
"Ah, you must be a human, a Jasnian to be more precise. They always speak cruelly with nasty scathing speech."  
  
Amber sighed feeling the anger drain out of her. It was wrong for her to take out her anger on this creature who seemed quite pleasant, and it spoke politely enough to her.   
  
"I apologize. I did not mean to speak nastily to you."  
  
It shrugged which in itself looked weird. "You seem sincere enough so we'll accept your apology."  
  
Before Amber had time to ponder this statement another voice broke in.   
  
"What is she doing here?", it croaked but it was not the creature.   
  
Suddenly Amber realized where it came from, the squeaky question came from the deformed hunch which she now recognized as a head. She stared at it surprised.   
  
"I am a Diceann. My name is Ian and this is Kevin.", He motioned to the head on it's shoulder. The mound raised it's head, there was a patch of thick, dark moss green hair pulled back in pony tail, it's eyes were lilac, large and round while it's mouth was larger. It was eerily creepy, but there was something trusting an innocent about it.  
  
She smiled and proceeded to introduce herself. Once the introductions were over, Amber offered them a seat opposite her and a drink from her canteen. Ian had just taken a mouthful when he spat it out and both of them made a face.  
  
"What's wrong?"   
  
"Are you trying to poison us?", He demanded.   
  
"Uh, No, I... that water is perfectly fine. I myself drank from it not more than ten minutes ago. What is wrong with it?"   
  
"What is right with it, don't you mean?", Kevin squeaked. "That water is from the marsh for sure, and the marsh water is not clean."  
  
"Well it's the best I can offer.", probably because it was the best she had. This was what Boris had brought her, maybe he was trying to poison her. She closed her eyes and shook her head. It wasn't good of her to think bad of her only alliance out here in the bad lands. Besides he needed her.  
  
"But still this begs the question what would a child of light be doing out here in the Dark forests?"  
  
"I am sorry I cannot answer that."  
  
"Why not?", Kevin demanded.   
  
It was fascinating to watch the small hump on Ian's shoulder speak and think for itself. It seemed to be completely separate from Ian except for the fact that they inhabited the same body. It's facial expressions differed and their voices differed yet they were essentially the same person. It was quite amazing Amber decided. She stared at the mound for many seconds with her ochre eyes.   
  
"Well for one thing, how do I know that you are not spies for the Baron?"   
  
"Ah, so you are hiding from the Baron.", Ian laughed delightedly as he watched the blood drain from the Jasnians face.   
  
"We caught her out!", Kevin cheered. "She would not tell us why she was here but we were smarter than her and found out! Ha!"  
  
Amber swallowed painfully and reached for a log lying by her feet, to hit out at the creature should it decide to report her whereabouts to the Baron. She did not wish to kill this creature but should she would defend herself. She was not willing to return to the Baron so that she would be returned to the terra.  
  
"Do not fear child of light!", Ian stated grandly. "For we are not Friends of the Dark Lord, neither do we wish to be enemies but we have no love for him and wish you no harm. You have been kind and you have an aura about you which exudes good grace and power, surprisingly, great power."  
  
Amber squirmed uncomfortably. From what she had heard from Boris, people having power was a curse as others always wanted to wield it for themselves.  
  
"Surely you do not fear little old us?", Kevin mocked.  
  
Ian reached up and hit Kevin over the head. Kevin retaliated by biting the hand making Ian roar out loud.  
  
"Excuse me but I don't mean to intrude, actually I do. I am hiding from the Baron, and as you two seem to know you're way around this forest, could you tell me the quickest route out of this Forest with the least amount of soldiers? I'd be much obliged."  
  
Ian and Kevin looked at each other and then Ian shrugged making Kevin nod, "I do not see what harm it would do to help you, in exchange for something for us."  
  
"What?", she asked fearing the worst.  
  
"You must take us with you.", Ian stated.  
  
"Take you with me? But-", she sighed exasperated.   
  
How could she get past the Vestites if she had a two headed creature tagging along, besides how did she know she could trust them? Although, maybe they wouldn't want to come along once they saw Boris and Boris would know what they were and if they were trust worthy, and for the moment she could do with some company. "Ok then. But understand this, what I'm doing is likely to endanger your lives. The Baron will have people looking out for me, which means we are not likely to get far without being caught and possibly executed."  
  
Kevin's eyes rounded with fear while Ian's glittered with excitement.   
  
"What did you do? Kill some one?"  
  
"Close."   
  
"Did you wound someone important?"  
  
"Maybe she attacked someone.", Kevin added.  
  
"Yeah, the Baron."  
  
This time both their eyes rounded with fear. They had never heard of anyone attacking the Baron, never mind escaping from him alive. This Jasnian was truly powerful. She had attacked the Baron and lived, not many could do that.  
  
"So you see why I am in mortal peril, and so will you two be should you choose to journey with me."   
  
"What dangerous mission are you embarking on, Sorceress?"  
  
"I am not a Sorceress. I am not anything magickal.", she watched their crest fallen appearances. "But I am friends with the High Priestess Ruin. Have you heard of her?"  
  
They eyes lit up immediately. "Ruin, daughter of the moon? Yes we have heard of her, we have talked to her too."   
  
"She even let us watch her do a ritual. It was very enlightening."  
  
Amber smiled. "So you are friends of Ruins'?"   
  
"Yes. We would lay down our lives for Ruin, daughter of the moon. She has saved many creatures in this forest from the dark powers which fill this forest with Shadow. She has battled to exhaustion with the Dark Priest.", Kevin gushed, then realizing just what he had said, quickly covered his mouth as Ian slapped him violently.   
  
"Now it is she who has tricked you, foolish cursed piece of flesh. Ruin will not forgive us this grievous error."  
  
"No, no. I am Ruin's most trusted companion. But I do not know who you speak of, this Dark Priest? Who is he?"  
  
"Do not speak of him, he has spies every where.", Ian warned glancing around him nervously.   
  
Suddenly a thought occurred to her. "Is Ruin in danger? For if she is, I don't not wish to leave her."  
  
"Ruin can fight her own battles."  
  
Everyone jumped at the deep voice that came from behind them. A tall figure stood just inside the clearing holding some roots and leaves. Even surrounded by large trees his towering height seemed to loom over them. Kevin whimpered at the sight of the tall lean man with vibrant blood red hair and an angry expression. Amber stood up and Ian moved until he was just behind her leg, so he could still see the man but so that she was between them. She stepped forward towards the figure. He was familiar but she just couldn't place him. Where was Boris and why hadn't he come yet? Had he sent this man for her, or was this man one of the Baron's men, here to make sure that Boris carried out his duties.   
  
"Do not tell me you do not remember me little sister?"  
  
Amber's eyes widened. Only one person ever called her little sister, but he had long gone. She had not seen him in years, yet here he was. And if it was him, then she may not have to worry about finding the rebels, because it seemed their leader was standing before her. She felt the Diceann clutch her leg tightly.  
  
"Tala?"  
  
The man stepped forward, his face expressionless but a look of warmth filled his usually cold Siberian blue eyes. Amber watched him. He had grown a bit, filled out here and fined down there. His skin was a porcelain, snow white, and probably felt as smooth as it looked. The skin was a perfect canvas for his sculpted features, the sharp red eyebrows and the enigmatic blue eyes. But no matter how handsome Tala was, she knew he was always too determined to bother with wenches. He was still taller than her, it had always been a problem for her. She'd always got a crick in her neck when she used to hang out with him. His hair was a shaped like two wings with twin bangs framing his aristocratic face. The bangs gave him a gentler look, but the look in his eyes took that way. He wore a pair of black pants, black leather boots, a red tunic and a long black cloak. A sword dangled by the side from a sheathed hooked through the belt.  
  
Amber couldn't describe the feeling on relief that poured through her. If there was anyone in this world that could help her escape the forest and defeat the Baron then it was Tala. Tala Valkov had always been strong, loyal, honorable and honest. Always he had been there for her, until he had left to join the rebels. It had been Ruin who has told her that he had become leader of the rebels, so with Tala's help she'd bring down the Baron. She stepped forward, removing Ian and flung her arms round the only person that Boris had introduced to her, that she'd actually cared about. Tala stiffened for a few moments then relaxed hugging her back.   
  
"I missed you Tala. Where've you been? Why did you leave me? Did you know about what the Baron wanted with me, about my powers?"  
  
The rebel leader sighed. "Yes, but I'm sorry I can't answer those other questions. Some other time. Now, Amber who is that with you?"  
  
"This is Ian and Kevin, they are a Diceann."  
  
"I know what they are."  
  
"Well, uh, they offered to show me and Boris a quick route out of the Forest which isn't filled with soldiers."   
  
"Did they, heh? Well there is no such way."  
  
"Oh, well-"  
  
"In exchange for what?"   
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Diceann don't just offer to do something for nothing, so what reward did they want?"   
  
Amber shrugged. "They just wanted to tag along with us."   
  
"No."   
  
"Why not?"   
  
"Diceann are untrust worthy."   
  
"Well I'll just add them to my list shall I?", Amber retorted bitterly.   
  
Tala flinched. He knew he had let her down by letting her stay with Boris and he didn't need to be reminded of it all the time. He exhaled frustratedly rubbing his hands over his face. Tonight would be a rough night and tomorrow rougher still. They would have to journey far and also think of a plan to put the Baron and Boris off their tracks for a while. He had made contact with a comrade to meet them tomorrow in a small tavern in Badgan. He would help her get to the rebels. He sat down opposite them on a log and studied the creature behind her leg. It was a typical Diceann, the second head wasn't completely formed properly. The eyes were darting to and fro, and every so often the muscle in the host's cheek twitched. No, he didn't trust them but it seemed they were attached to Amber and they would not leave her quickly. Plus they may be able to keep her company when he wasn't there.  
  
"Very well then. We have a long day's journey ahead of ourselves tomorrow, so we must get away from her and get some sleep."   
  
Amber nodded stifling a yawn. After a short walk they found a place to sleep for the night. She clambered over a piece of exposed terra and curled up in a ball. The temperature had dipped quite a lot and although she was lying beside the fire, the cold of the ground penetrated her clothes and her body. She began to shiver. a footfall behind her had her eyes snapping open. Tala loomed over her, he leaned down and placed his jacket over her still frame. After he left she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. After a while she fell asleep to the peaceful breathing of Tala and the rumbling snores of Ian and Kevin.  
  
___________________________________________________________________________  
  
To my reviewers:  
  
ChibiKai02: Hiya, um this chapter has Kai, not a lot of Kai but there is Kai.  
  
ChRiSTiZ: Yeah me and Gemsie have the weirdest coversations when I stay at her house, we don't get to sleep until like five in the morning, sometimes but then other times, Gems gets into one of her moods and tells me to shut up! *Zadien glowers* Eep! Yes Amber does have the worst luck. And you'll not find out about Enny until some other chapter. Did you want "Cabraigh se sios" translated 'cos it means help him down! More Johnny in this chapter.   
  
ChibiTari: Nice Job spotting Reenie, and it's from something else I was working on at the time. Yeah Johnny was pretty damn cute in that chapter. So when will you're next Christmassy chapter come out? It's good. I have a one shot to come out as well, it'll be joined to united we stand.   
  
Ice Archer Girl: Um....I suppose I could shorten them but I like long chapters, they're fun to read. As for Johnny, technically in this fic he is Miyami's Johnny and it's in his DNA to flirt with the female species. Sorry ¬¬! Tala is in this chapter, woo-coo-coo-choo! (Borrowed that from ZD) Ozuma, Kane and Michael will turn up soon. Our sometime, don't worry won't forget them. Ya see Boris isn't exactly great now is he? Yeah I love writing Amber, though she isn't my character. She's just so much fun with her remarks, and ass whopping characteristics. Pairings are as they are in all our fics. Amber/Kai, Johnny/Miyami, Tala/Ruin, Sonia/Ozuma, Kane/Aspin, Enrique/Arista, and there is another pairing that I just can't figiure out....Beth/Michael. So no all three boys don't fall for Amber, 'cos first of all totally idealist, second of all ewww. No offence I love the three guys, but after reading Zadien's fic it would be weird for Amber and Tala or Johnny to be together, it would be like being with your brother or shit. Yikes, I wrote a lot. And i use Irish 'cos I think it sounds cool and pretty close to celtic at times. It suits this type of fic.   
  
Grandsummon: Thankies I try my best at the writing, sometimes my writing just goes awol though.   
  
Yin: Well not much Enrique or Miyami and Johnny action for awhile.   
  
colourless: Soz, Reenie was something I was working on  
  
Rayne-Neko_Punk: Yep it's Irish, and though I, like everyone else, loathed it at school, it's fun to put it in to the fic since not many others know the language.   
  
AzN*PyRo*ArCaDa: Amber screamed no! Cos ya know Miyami was somewhere else. So thank you for your review. Hopefully this fic met your expectations.  
  
Zadien: I'm still not talking to you, so pssh!  
  
PLease review!!! 


	5. Tala and Ruin

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Destroying my Spirit, Stealing my Heart

By: Spitfire_Sae

Disclaimer: _I do not own Beyblade. I do however own the plot and the situations the characters find themselves in. Amber and Ruin; their looks, characters and situations belong to **Zadien!!** _

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A.N. Well I took quite a while updating this didn't I? Oh well I'm sorry about that; I've been busy in college. I just have a few things to say. Zadien the gifted authoress who came up with Amber and Ruin, is a talented authoress and I do not respect people who go out and steal her ideas and basically her story. She came up with Love/Hate herself and **she** made it different. People who steal her idea's are sick and pathetic because they haven't the imagination or the capability to make up their own stories. But what sickens me even more is those who read these copies, review and then don't tell her about it. **They** make me sick and ashamed because some of these people are supposed to be her friends. I guess it's everyone for themselves on this site!!

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Dedication: I'd like to dedicate this chapter and story to Zadien. My best friend, my soul mate, my partner in crime. Keep your chin up and the world won't seem so dark, remember you do have real friends. I'd also like to dedicate this chapter to ChibiTari/Unlucky Star who gave me the inspiration to keep writing and to keep on trying to get through even though it seems as though I'm talking to a brick wall. So it's dedicated to _Zadien_ and _ChibiTari/Unluckystar_.

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Amber: Ugh she's brought us to this weird place again!!

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Ruin: Well… great… where are the others?

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Tala: Well fuckity fuck fuck, looks like I've been dragged in. Shit, did you see my script? It's fucking long. All the others aren't here!

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Ian: Well you're not the one stuck in the same body with monkey boy over there. _[Every one looks at Kevin]_ I've been in makeup for hours!

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Amber: Doesn't look like it. You could still crack a mirror!

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Ian: How about I crack your neck?

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Ruin: Oh try it I dare you!

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Tala: Oh we'll more than try it!

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[beybladers and zadiens cast members break out in full blown riot as Kevin watches from afar.]

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Sae: Well it looks like they're about to kill each other so I better shout: ACTION!!

Chapter five: Tala and Ruin

Ruin sighed heavily, sipping camomile tea from her chalice. She'd chosen camomile to soothe her frayed nerves and she had needed it, she thought as she sat at her table overlooking the woods in front of her. This was the first time she'd got to sit down since early yesterday. For most of the night she'd been running from the Demolition boys, fleeing for her life so that she could save Enriques' life. She couldn't believe what the Baron had done. To punish a man for speaking to his betrothed. How could the boy have known? Sure not even the villagers knew of the betrothal and she had not seen it. 

But Ruin had an inkling, no that wasn't the word, no deep inside she knew that the Baron had set his sights on Amber. He craved her innocence, more so her power. He wanted to take her, to break her for himself because that was the key to owning her. That's something his sick, twisted mind would desire. To steal her innocence, but it her innocence was essential to the destruction of the Baron's power base. Her essence had to be pure. Though her innocence wouldn't be surrendered easily but the heir to the Barons' would gain it because she would give it to him freely. 

Which was why Ruin saw it as her duty to keep him away from Amber, though first of all she had to know where her young friend was. 

Amber had disappeared that night while the mage had been rescuing Enrique. Boris had gone too and when ruin had visited the house to find no one present, alarm bells had immediately began to ring in her head. She thought of the peril the girl may have got herself into. Amber was so naïve, so trusting. She was in all effects, defenceless. Ruin hated to think of her best friend in that situation but the Goddess would protect her and she knew Amber would be ok for the moment. 

A thought occurred to Ruin while she drank her tea, she could scry for Amber. She may not have been able to clear away the vision in foresight into future but she could see the present and that was all she desired.

Getting up with renewed determination and hope, she moved to her larder. The small hovel was filled to the top with shelves lining every wall and on them were many of the tools of her trade. Pots of herbs, jars of crystals, spell books that belonged to those who'd come before her and ones she'd written herself. An old cabinet held other things, her best chalice, her oldest athame, and a ball of pale blue crystal, candles of various colours, and incense and a scrying mirror. All this and more were carefully organised.

She gathered her equipment, mirror, candles –pink and orange and rose incense. She rose and crossed to the middle of the floor to her circle and there she deposited her supplies. Walking to the centre she flung out her power and darkened the room. She preferred to scry in the darkness and whenever possible she preferred to work sky-clad. So shrugging out of her robe she sat down on the floor in the darkened room. She'd cast her circle and now she lit the two candles and incense, placing the candles on either side of the mirror. She sat in from of the convex mirror. She closed her eyes and focused on her young innocent friend and on where she was. Steeling herself for what she might see, she opened her eyes and blinked rapidly. During that second of intensity and altered vision she plucked an image from the top and magnified it in the middle of the mirror. 

It was Amber; she was being carted through the woods by Boris. Trees and Shrubbery surrounded her on all sides and the sky was darkened only speared by light through the gaps in the canopy. The scene shifted and now Amber was sitting before a large fire, lost in her thought and there looked to be a disappointed look to her features, as though she was disillusioned with life. Could it be possible that that Amber knew of Boris's betrayal? Maybe but he didn't seem to be with her, so had she escaped him? And what was she doing in the woods? A sense of dread filled Ruins' gut. Something wasn't right here. The scene shifted again and there was Amber and she was smiling warmly at someone with the Diceann she had befriended cowering behind her legs, but before she could see who the person Amber had seen was, there was a knock at her door. 

Ruin's head shot up. Her brown eyes widened, who could that be? She never really had any visitors in her small home, only Amber and Sonia. But Amber was in the woods and Sonia was tending to Enrique so it could be neither of those. She frowned and warily reached for her robe feeling how it hung to the side because of the athame – her weapon of choice – weighing heavily in her pocket. Shrugging on the robe she pulled back her power, soaking it up again before walking to the door.

Her hand reached into her pocket and closed round the handle as she opened the door slowly and she peered out. Brown eyes widened at the figure standing in her door way. 

"Tala." she breathed as she stared at the warrior standing there, watching her with those stunning but guarded turquoise eyes. 

"Ruin." He greeted with a nod, blowing away one of the slender blood red tendrils of hair which fluttered in front of his eyes.

She opened her mouth then closed it ashamed to admit to herself that her mouth had gone dry just from the sight of him. Her eyes greedily absorbed every detail of him, noting the subtle changes since she'd last seen him four years ago just before she'd left on her first pilgrimage. His shoulders had broadened and his frame had grown in height and his hips were narrow before branching into long lean legs. She let her eyes run down him and then back to his face which was as pale and as aristocratically handsome as ever. And his eyes. She loved his eyes, the uniqueness of them and the intensity and intelligence they held. And with a sort of edgy delight she felt herself go damp from the look he was giving her. 

"What are you doing here?" she blurted out, grateful that neither Amber nor Sonia was there to witness her loss of composure. 

He smirked. "I suppose this would be a shock for you to see me."

"I was not expecting you." 

"Did you not see me in one of your visions?"

She felt her hackles rise at the bitterness of his voice and her composure came back as a glove to defend herself from his verbal attacks. "My gift did not see fit to warn me of your presence back here." The something struck her. "Obviously my gift did not think you'd be so stupid to come back here. If you are seen-"

"I won't be seen." He snapped.

"You better not be. The rebels are not as strong here in the Barons' home territory."

Tala glowered at that; something passed through those siberian blue eyes, something like hatred. A deep rooted hatred for a man who stole his life. "This is not the Barons' home, though it may be his territory for this moment in time. I swear it will not always be this way; I will reclaim my throne. With you by my side or not."

The sorceress sighed and her usually composed features softened. "I did not do this to harm you Tala. You know that could I have stayed with you I would have."

His eyes gazed into hers directly. "Would you?"

She cast her eyes to the ground and Tala felt the stirrings of something deep down inside him. For many years he'd worked on shutting himself away from others, but she had broke through the ice. The young woman who'd been so confused about her destiny; the lost soul who had called out to his; Ruin reminded him of her now. She may have found her role in the prophecy but she still held that loss soul deep inside her that still; after all this time, called to his. 

"Yes I would have stayed with you. But what is the point in dwelling in the past when both our futures are bleak?" she asked, her voice jaded from all the horrors she had witnessed over her short period on this world.

"Then we will concentrate on the present." Tala affirmed stepping past the mage, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "I took Amber last night."

Ruin, who'd been closing the door, whipped her gaze up to meet his. Surprise, suspicion and relief warred for dominance on her striking face and surprise and relief won. "What do you mean you took Amber?" she asked urgently. "You were at the rally weren't you?"

Tala nodded making himself comfortable in a wooden chair in her kitchenette. "I was; but I did not take her from the rally, that was _that_ _bastards_ doing." That bastard came out on a hiss.

Horror followed by anger poured over her features. She fisted a hard and Tala observed with fascination as a hairline fracture appeared on the vase on the table which held the centre piece. He raised a blood red brow. "You have become powerful."

This time she raised the brow. "I was always powerful, now do you wish for refreshments?" she offered, anything to stop herself thinking of what could have happened to Amber.

"I have not ate a good meal in a long time. I do not think I remember what one would taste like."

A small smile played on her black lips. "What did the Baron want with her and how did you get her?"

Tala sat back in his chair watching her figure move under the robe. "He took her to Boris' cabin." He paused to let that sink in then his eyes narrowed when she didn't react. "You knew all along?"

"I had my suspicions."

He sighed running his hands through his hair and for a moment he contemplated running his hands down her curvy body, but he reminded himself he was here for Amber.

"He is well aware of the powers she has tapped into. He wanted her to agree to a marriage to him."

Ruins' hand gripped the knife she was using in a white knuckled grip. 

"I knew it." She hissed; then she sighed. "How did you get her away? The Baron is heavily guarded."

Tala nodded grimly but there was a light in his eye, the thrill of a challenge. "He ordered Boris to assassinate her." He paused ignoring the quick look she shot him before continuing. "So Boris being the faithful servant to the Baron took her out to the forbidden forest. Which was where he broke the news of her families death, and he told her the reason the Baron wanted her."

Ruin closed her eyes and leaned against the onyx counter. "Goddess."

"Yes it was quite a shock to her. After the announcement that Boris was in league with the Baron and then the announcement that her parents were traitors, she was not in a fit state of mind. Then Boris told her off his plan to usurp the Baron using her powers. She agreed, but it was not as if she had much of a choice." He sighed wearily running a hand over his face. "I took the opportunity sedate Boris and to rid myself of his body, when he left her for a brief moment to seek out roots and other nutrition for her."

She shot him a sharp look as she took a seat opposite him; handing him some crusty freshly baked bread and a bowl of broth. He dug into them greedily sighing in almost bliss as the piping hot soup burnt his tongue and coated his stomach in warmth. He almost smiled at the fulmilating look she sent him as she awaited his answer. 

"I did not kill him, if that is what you believe, though I will not deny that I did give it considerable thought. Unfortunately it is not in my interests to relieve him off his life. My war is with the Baron, not his second in command. I left him in his quarters as soon as the Baron left before swiftly returning to Amber and making my presence known. She has taken up with a Diceann."

Suddenly Ruin's dark eyes lit up. "A Diceann? One with purple hair and the other with green hair?"

He nodded as he chewed slowly. "Yes that would be them."

"Ian and Kevin. They are accomplices of mine. They have greatly aided my personal cause. She will be safe with them, they shall let no harm befall them."

"I do hope you are right about them. I will not hold myself responsible for their deaths should they harm her."

She gave him a cold look. "I know the heart of the Diceann, it is pure and true, more so than others I know."

"He will not harm her." Tala snapped back eager to defend his friend.

A small wry smile played on her lips. "Funny how you immediately jump to the conclusions that I was speaking of your Emperor."

He matched the look in her eye. "I know the heart and mind of my friends and fellow rebels. He follows my orders. Do not try to sway my trust, mage. You do your job, I shall do mine." With that he finished off his broth and got to his feet. "Now I must return to our mutual friend. I will be leaving for Kanite this day, I suggest you start your journey to the Belyaev Kingdom, they are under attack and we will be needing their help."

Ruin nodded. "I shall gather my assistants as soon as you leave."

"Then I shall bid you good day." He replied firmly, then taking a risk he stooped to brush his lips over the curve of her lips, then he withdrew with a small satisfied smirk as he caught how she raised her hands to her mouth. "I take from you what you gave to my friends." 

And with that he took his leave leaving the mage confused and irked.

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{{Stole this idea from Zadien!! Ok read this to the very end because I added an extract from Kindred Insanity's fic: 'Desiring Magick'. If you like fighting and magick then you are sure to like this. Plus it has mucho Kawaii Amber and Kai scenes!!! *Squeals*}}

Amber sighed and rolled over opening her eyes. She looked up and immediately noticed the trees, dark sky and she could smell the grass. Not far away she could hear the soft breathing of another being sleeping peacefully. She struggled to figure out where she was. Was she out in the forest? Had she been out with Ruin again? It seemed the only logical explanation. She had often awoken after a night ritual to find herself out cold in the woods. Yet she didn't remember any of the ritual, and she couldn't remember coming so far into the woods. 

She sat up to ask Ruin, only to find herself looking at a strange ball of fur curled up in a defensive ball and was now whimpering softly. She gulped slowly and hoped she wouldn't scream. She was praying not to wake the creature when the memories from the previous night slammed into her with such a force that had she been standing she was sure she would have stumbled. 

The Baron had captured her, Boris was working for the Baron, Enrique had been arrested but she had saved him, Tala had come to her rescue, the Baron wanted to marry her and now wanted her dead. 

"Oh yeah, mustn't forget that he wanted Boris to kill me." she muttered darkly to herself as she crawled to her feet. 

The remnants of the fire were still smouldering. She lifted up a branch and began to stoke it sending up a flurry of sparks. Grabbing a few more twigs she settled them onto the embers and watched as the thin flames licked their new fuel. She glanced round mentally noting that the spot where Tala had slept was empty; all that remained to show he'd been there was the flattened patch of grass. And where was Boris? He'd been there last night but after Tala had appeared, he hadn't returned. She sighed, maybe after they moved camp he hadn't been able to find them.

A sudden noise had her jumping and turning in the direction from whence it came. But all that was in front of her was a dark corridor that led further into the woods. Amber sighed, wishing not for the first time for her staff. Her special fighting staff that had saved her so many times.

She sat down on a neighbouring stone and pondered on how the Baron had captured her. She took an unbiased view of her memories. She had been attacking the Baron, moving forward gloating on the fact that no one else was present to save him. Ruin had been watching Enrique, Bryan had been on his butt yelling something, though like then, she still couldn't hear what it was. Then suddenly she was off her feet and sailing through the air. She re-winded it back and sighed. 

Suddenly something struck her. Saizo had announced that the Baron wasn't alone, Amber had immediately took that to mean Bryan seeing he had attacked her, but maybe she meant Boris. Had Saizo known about Boris's treachery, if so why hadn't she said? Then maybe Amber wouldn't have been in that mess. Amber felt like crying. Everything was wrong and nothing would ever be the same. She was now a fugitive on the run and she'd never feel safe again, never trust anyone ever again. Anger invaded her and took over; rage ate her insides and tore her apart. She stood up and savagely kicked the stone she had been sitting on. Pain exploded in her foot and she fell limply to the ground, tears burning her eyes and blurred her vision. 

Suddenly Ian and Kevin stirred. Not wanting them to see her tears, Amber brushed her sleeve over her eyes and sniffed miserably. Taking a deep breath and plastering on a sunny smile she approached the fatigued Diceann.

"Morning miss." Kevin croaked out a greeting while Ian just growled.

"Not a morning person is he?"

"He's not an any time person."

Amber chuckled despite herself and promptly led the interesting creature to the fire. As she did this, she realised that as long as she had lived in Vesta she had never seen any other creatures, apart from Jasnians (though not many as most had emigrated or were exiled), Meschers, and Vestans. Ruin had told her many times of the exotic creatures outside the barriers of the town but there were strange creatures inside the barrier too. 

Of course Ruin wouldn't think them strange as she often got to see them when she did rituals in the forest. As she thought of Ruin a wave of sadness washed over her. She would never see her white mage friend again. And if the diceann was right then that meant that she may never see Ruin again if she was in combat with the Dark Priest. She closed her eyes against the tears. She wouldn't get to go on her trip with Ruin after all. It was too bad, as she might've had fun. Fun, she thought bitterly. When was the last time she'd had serious fun, where she could just laugh for ages and not really know what she was laughing about? She couldn't remember. 

The constant bickering between the Diceann was now rising to a crescendo, snapping Amber out of her grieving. She whirled on the two headed creature, who was now actually having a tug-of-war fight by itself. She rolled her eyes sombrely.

"Would you two stop that immediately. I have no idea what you're quarrelling about anyway."

She narrowed her eyes and out of curiosity glanced down and examined the contents of the Ian's hand. A small green shoot lay there. It didn't resemble any thing appetising. Why would they embark in idiotic bickering over something as mediocre as a shoot? She shook her head. She really didn't understand foreign creatures, the only race she seemed to understand were Jasnians, although she had only met one real Jasnian before. 

He had been interesting, a real Jasnian. The Jasnians once lived in the town of Vestan before the Baron came but then the Baron came and the others soon changed their nationality or left. She didn't really understand why her father came back to a village so blatantly hostile towards his race, to bring up his family. It made no real sense. Finally she sighed giving in to her curiosity.

"What is it?"

Ian stared up at her confused then he and Kevin exchanged glances.

"Surely you recognise this? It is a most valued root. A _Chaba_ root. Very nutritious."

Amber's eyes narrowed at the shoot. "It doesn't look very tasty."

"Oh but it is. Try it." Kevin offered.

She nibbled it delicately, then ungraciously threw it away. "Ugh, it tastes so bland, like parchment."

Ian and Kevin glanced at her annoyed, before scurrying off to find the discarded food item. He picked at the grass stems and parted the blades expertly as he searched. Kevin glanced up at her infuriated.

"Why'd you do that for?"

Amber made a face. "I'm sorry, it's just it tasted like parchment. Hardly very appetising."

"What is this parchment? It sounds delightful."

"It's not edible."

"Then how do you know what it tastes like?"

"I don't, it's just a description of how I imagine it to taste like."

"Do you have any of this parchment?" Kevin asked hopefully.

Amber took a deep breath and proceeded to refuse them. "No I don't. Hmm, I wonder where Tala is?"

"We don't care do we, Kari. Get rid of big nasty mean man, make us all happy."

"And safe. No fear of getting stood on." Kevin added nodding eagerly up at her. 

Exasperated she groaned. "I can't get rid of Tala, he's our only hope of getting out here safely."

"No, not true. We can help you. We have lived in this forest many years, we can help you get out."

Amber narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Oh, really, then how come you haven't escaped from here, yet?"

"Because, we haven't needed to." Ian answered abruptly.

"Huh. And you need to leave now?"

Ian averted his gaze and suddenly found the Forest floor extremely interesting, while Kari looked anywhere but at her. 

"Why do you want to leave here now?" she asked, a thread of warmth invading her voice warning them of her growing anger, "What's going on here, Diceann?"

Ian looked up fury making him careless with his answer. "The Dark priest will destroy the daughter of the moon and everyone she preserves and we do not wish to be here when all hell breaks loose."

Silence absorbed Amber, so much she could no longer hear anything but the pumping of her heart in her ears. Ruin was going to die. She had entered into a battle she could no longer fight, and there was Amber just going and getting her self in even more trouble. Ruin could not fight the Dark Priest while worrying about Amber; it was too much. She sank further to the ground, hiding her face in her hands. 

"Oh Goddess, I didn't know."

Ian and Kevin both looked at each other and Kevin attempted to butt Ian in the neck.

"Imbecile." he hissed. 

Ian looked incredibly uncomfortable. He hadn't meant to worry the pretty Jasnian. She was being kind, offering them water, even though the water was from the Marsh, and letting them escape with her. It was just a pity that she had to be friends with the White mage Ruin. Ruin would be destroyed in the final battle, if she kept on the way she was going, fighting too many battles at the one time. There were rumours though, that she was bringing down the Baron from the inside, though Ian and Kevin weren't sure. If that was true, would the daughter of the moon not need to be associated with the Baron? 

As it was she was the Bane of his existence. Ian didn't know much of the Baron; all he knew was that he was cruel and evil, hard on his faithful followers worse to his enemies. 

Yet this young woman, not even a sorceress had attacked the Dark Lord and had escaped with her life. She also was the White Mage's most trusted companion and the Daughter of the moon was very choosy who she gave her absolute trust too. She was very kind and gave her friendship easily, but to Ruin; friendship was different to trust. Trust was more special; she could give friendship without trust and trust without friendship. It seemed the Jasnian was special enough to earn both Ruins' friendship and trust an incredible thing. 

Ian glanced at Kevin and knew he was thinking along the similar line. Suddenly a nagging thought bloomed in his head. He had once heard of a prophecy from one of the other creatures in the forest about a young woman who would lead the people united into a rebellion against the Dark Lord. He stared down at Amber. Would she, Could she be the one?

__

'It seems possible doesn't it?' another voice, Kevins' entered his train of thought.

__

'Indeed it does.'

'The High Priestess trusts her.'

'But she would not let her go out unprotected, would she?'

'Not unless she had no choice. What if the man isn't everything he says he is?'

'He does disappear a lot, leaving her unprotected.'

'And he wasn't pleased with us turning up.' Ian nodded as his symbiot raised a good point. 

__

'Then it's our duty to protect her from him. We must never leave him alone with her.'

'Right, because she won't leave if her families in danger. And this way he won't be able to kill her while we are here because we will not let him.'

Ian nodded, pulling back from the telepathic link that he and his symbiot shared. He couldn't remember a time when the two of them were not together. Ian had always enjoyed the company when he was younger; although, growing up he had wished for some privacy. When Kevin had contracted a neurological disease Ian was forced to realise that he needed Kevin and he just accepted it. 

He focused his attention back on Amber who was now rocking her self to and fro while murmuring something inaudible. The only words he and Kevin could make out were Enrique, Betrothed, hell, and rot. What ever she was saying she was definitely upset by it. He crouched beside her and snaked his arm around her shoulders in a form of comfort. She glanced up and he could see that her eyes were filled with unspeakable pain. 

"There, there miss. Don't you cry. We won't let anything happen to you." Kevin attempted suddenly feeling awkward and inapt. 

"Why would she cry for?" Tala's voice rang out from behind them. 

The two beings jumped apart, Amber looking a like a child who's hand was caught in the cookie jar and Ian and Kevin both looking ready to fight Tala. The rebel leader gave the Diceann a look of pure disdain before directing his attention back to Amber. She looked distraught and he was worried about her. Before he could approach her, the Diceann jumped in front of her and fixed him with a look of murder. He sighed disinterested before lifting the small creature by the scruff of the neck and dumping it on it's rear end to the side, all the time it's skinny arms struck here and there in an attempt to hit Tala's strong arm. 

He knelt beside her and studied her scrupulously. She was pale, her skin drawn and there were small bags underneath her eyes. She was troubled by something. Almost as though she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders, which Tala assumed, was exactly how she felt. She was only nineteen, she should have been worrying about what she was going to wear to work -well underneath the uniform- or what she was going to buy at the market; yet here she was worrying about her friends safety, her own destiny and that the man she trusted and looked up to as a father figure had betrayed her. 

He had known Amber for eleven of her nineteen years and he knew trust was one thing that preyed on her mind. She had always been in his opinion too trusting, though once she had a grudge, nothing that person could do would soothe her anger until she was ready. She had trusted Bryan near the start, but after his blatant spiteful treatment of her she had withdrawn her friendship from him and concentrated on only being friendly to those that deserved it, yet still he found her to be extremely trusting, not cautious like Ruin. 

Though he remembered Ruin had been like Amber before she went on her first pilgrimage, after she returned she had changed though not to Amber. Never to Amber. 

The girl before him looked old, Tala thought, almost jaded. Which he supposed in a way she was. He knew that feeling himself. Having fought on many battle fields, he was use to death. He himself had killed many fine fighters and warriors, and had lamented for his friends loss of lives. It was at the rebel camp that he had learned not to grow to close to people. 

"Tala are you all right?" she asked quietly.

He realised that he had been staring directly at her while remembering his past. He nodded. 

"Yes I'm quite all right. It's you I should be asking."

"Why?"

"The Diceann believes that you were about to cry." Tala informed her.

She shook her head stubbornly. "No, I wasn't." she answered defiantly, then faltered, "It's just I fear for Ruin."

"Like I said, the sorceress can take care of herself."

Amber's eyes blazed. "Just because you don't like her, Janos and want her dead doesn't mean everyone else does."

Tala stepped back surprised and almost smirked. "Now wait just a minute, half pint. Who says I don't like the sorceress?" 

Amber gave him her famous I-know-you look. The one she used when he denied knowledge of who ate her last cookie, when she knew fine well it was him. 

He sighed exasperated. "I don't dislike her."

Again the look, only more pointed.

He threw his hands up in the air. "All right I don't like her, but I don't want the sorceress dead. She's your friend, and I admire her strength and loyalty to you."

"Fine then. And Tala, she's a high priestess now."

Tala felt a surge of pride for the young mage who had captured his heart in his youth during all those verbal spars they'd engaged in. Now she was a woman about to embark on a journey to fulfil a prophecy. There was something about her independence that had always intrigued him and he was glad to see that she hadn't changed. And it had been her idea that Amber should never find out about them; it had been for the best. 

Amber stood up stretching her legs. Suddenly she bent double as a pain tore through her system.

"Miss, are you ok?" Ian asked alarmed.

She placed her hand in front of her to signal she was ok before letting Tala guide her to a rock again. 

"Now what exactly was that?" Tala demanded. "And don't go telling me that it was nothing because you were in anguish."

"I was not in anguish, I just was in pain. I haven't eaten this morning."

"That's not true." Kevin argued before turning to Tala. "She had a morsel of Chaba root."

"Feh." Tala replied disgusted. "That's not food, that wouldn't keep a gundy alive."

Ian and Kevin turned away so that Tala wouldn't see how much his comment hurt them, but Amber did and for that she kicked Tala in the ankle. Tala swore before looking at her as she inclined her head towards the down hearted Diceann. Tala rolled his eyes before adding:

"But at least some one made you eat something."

Ian and Kevin looked up hopefully, while Tala awkwardly patted them on the head. They beamed proudly before waddling off to gather twigs for the dwindling fire. 

"So what's on the cards for today?" Amber asked eyeing the roots and leaves 

Tala was producing from his tunic suspiciously. What she wouldn't give to be at home raiding her larder?!

"Well I did some scouting and found an isolated path."

"That's good because we don't want to run into any of the Barons' soldiers." Amber stated firmly.

"I said isolated not deserted." Tala growled burying the roots in the soot to bake them.

"Oh." Amber muttered. "So we head there after breakfast?"

Tala grunted, then cast a glance at the Diceann. "I suppose they're still coming?"

"Of course. You don't really think I'm willing to leave them here alone do you? What if Boris came back?"

"I have sedated Boris and he won't find us any time soon. I've out run the soldiers men for the past four years, I know what I'm doing." He snapped.

"I should hope so."

So did he, Tala thought sighing heavily as he turned back to the fire. 

***

Ian muttered under his breath while Kevin wheezed. That was the one advantage of having two heads for one body, Amber supposed. Her hands grabbed for a rock to balance herself as her foot dislodged some loose gravel. It seemed to her that they'd been climbing this particular 'hill' as Tala called it, for the past hour. 

"May the Goddess pity us! Tala are we near the top yet?"

Tala stopped about 60 yards away. The advantage of having a large stride. He didn't even look exhausted. Though he would be use to walking long distances through thin air. His turquoise eyes narrowed as he looked down at her.

"Keep your voice down!" he whispered.

She scowled. His voice, even in a whisper, seemed to echo. She sat down on the lush green grass and removed her canteen from her coat pocket. Ian and Kevin had fetched some water from their own private spring and she had to admit it did taste a lot better.

"Give us a drink." the Diceann rasped.

Swallowing, she handed it over. She noticed that Tala was watching them and there was something in his eyes that she couldn't quite fathom. But for one moment he resembled Bryan. Ice cold fingers of fear gripped her heart in a vice-like grip. Her breath came to her in shallow gasps and there was a buzzing in her ears. She looked up and realised that Ian was speaking to her but she couldn't hear him or if she could, she couldn't process it. She swallowed painfully and heard the familiar click before a rush of sound flooded her auditory senses. 

"Missy are you all right? You were staring off into yonder. Is there something evil here?"

__

Ha!, she thought, _something evil? _

Was there anything good left in the world? It had once been a place of cherished hope, now it was filled with bitter despair, like her soul. She sighed heavily and shook her head softly. 

"No, I don't think so."

There was a noise behind them. Looking round they saw Tala motioning for them to join him. They crept stealthily, then knelt beside him. Below them was a little hut with a tarpaulin sheet for a roof. Inside that hut, Amber knew the sector guard patrol resided. So far there seemed to be no life inside but it was still early just an _uair_ before noon.

"We'll have to go past there. Do you have a weapon?"

Amber shook her head. "No I believe I was removed of my weapon when the Baron kidnapped me."

Tala sighed heavily. "Well then this is not going to bode well. Fine, you take the Diceann and should we get into any trouble, you will get as far away said trouble as possible. So you understand?"

Amber rolled her eyes, and linked her fingers through Ian's who wasn't paying any attention, but was looking around the quiet forest. Tala crept to the brink of the hill, then began a slow descent knowing that at any time the guard could come out and catch him and he was a sitting duck on the cliff edge. Amber watched him descend with a feeling of foreboding. Something wasn't right. The forest was too quiet, no birds made a sound, and there were no guttural sounds or howls from the predators that dwelt here. She gripped Ian's hand tighter ignoring the diceann's mewing protest. Something was wrong, something was very wrong. Her bright eyes searched the darkness for what was bothering her but she saw nothing. However her senses were on over drive. A breeze blew out of nowhere and her eyes widened became aware. 

"Tala! Look out!" she screamed just as an arrow was released with a dull ping from a taut bow soaring directly towards the rebel leader.

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Well what did you all think? Will Tala die? How will Amber save him? Well it will all be explained in the next chapter!!

Now to my reviewers:

Elemental Water Mistress: I'm on her fave's list? Cool!! I... see I know where you're coming from. But Johnny's a grown man of at least the early twenties and with his DNA, I think he has probably slept with some women before, so he isn't a virgin. But don't worry when he falls in love it will be different and it will be true. Trust me, I'm a big romantic at heart. 

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Ice Archer Girl: Hey!! *glomps* How are you? I'm sorry this chapter was soooo late, but I couldn't work up the interest to write the next chapter, but then I read your last chapter and I thought, well she's keeping me entertained I can at least try. =D Yeah I really like Ian and Kevin, they're cool. They kind of remind me of Gollum without the evilness. Kane will be in the next chapter, I'm not sure about where Michael will turn up, but he will. Yeah bows are really cool, but they're sometimes difficult to work with when they're are too many enemies and when they're too close. So I also like daggers, like the ones Gabriel uses in Xena!! Your last chapter rocked, especially with Johnny's comment about Carly's eyes. I have so many theories on what happened with them but alas I'm too chicken to say any of them.

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Tari: Ah this chapter was crap! Oh well, my writing is NOTHING compared to yours. It's so descriptive and everyone comes to life so well. Miyami unfortunately has ducked under the radar in this fic. Oh well she'll turn up soon, can't leave Johnny without her.

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Yin: Boris got taken by Tala. So bye bye Boris, for the moment. He's a royal Bastard so I could chuck him off a cliff edge with enthusiasm. Ian and Kevin just seemed so perfect for this role sort of like the dragon in the Walt Disney film about Camelot. *shrugs*

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AzN*PyRo*ArCaDa: I don't hate you. I just miss you. You haven't been around recently but Gems says you're taking a break so oh well. I'll just trundle on without you. Yeah Tala and Amber forever!! *cheers* Midgets inc. Tee-Hee. That's just funny. 

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Grandsummon: Ah another Irish person, yay!! Ozuma should be in the next chapter and the lovey dovey stuff? Um well there'll be some Kane/Aspin stuff soon, there was a minor bit of Tala/Ruin in this chapter (very mild) Kai/Amber willbe when ever they meet, which should be soon. And Johnny and Miyami, well Johnny and Miyami will probably happen first due to his DNA but I think I'll makeMiyami immune.

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ChRiSTiZ: Well you now know what happened to Boris, Tala got rid of him. As for the Diceann well Di means two and Ceann means head in Irish. Ugh what about Kai? You mention Johnny and Tala, but no Kai? Shame shame!! Lol

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AnimeSk8er: I update whenever I have the time and the inclination, hope that doesn't inconvience you.

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Whisper *2* Imaginary: Hello! Someone new huh? Well you love a lot huh? (I think I say huh alot huh? lol) JOHNNY *squeals* Isn't he something? I loveBryan *removes him from box, then shoves himback in when he swipes at her hand*hehehe I still love him even if he is sadistic. Boris is well the word manipulative and power hungry springs to mind. Well whaddya know? Well I'm glad you finally read this story, this chapter isn't that good but oh well I've cut down the chapter a bit. And I love Tala, he's the bestest best person in the world and for once he deserves to be the leader!!

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angel akira: *offers cookie* I hope this chapter met your expectations. It wasn't all that exciting but it filled in gaps!! Next chapter we have ACTION and KANE and OZUMA!! *huggles Ozuma then places him back in cage when ZD glares*

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Oh and here's an excerpt from Kindred Insanitys' fic _Desiring Magick**:**_

In a dark room, shrouded in shadows with only a white light from a screen set up on a wall, two men were watching the man shimmer off screen. A few seconds later the picture moved backwards with white and black strips over this screen, and again it replayed. One man sat in a comfy leather chair and watched the screen with a grim smile, the other younger man, on the other hand was raging.

"He drew unwanted attention to Bio-volt. That alone should warrant his death!"

"Calm down Tala. This may turn out to be a good thing."

"And how's that?" the man with vibrant blood red hair and turquoise blue eyes, also known as Tala demanded.

"Because with any luck he'll make my grandson see the error of his ways and even better draw my pretty out of hiding." A pale hand motioned to the second screen on the wall before them, where a young girl fought for her life. She was tall with pale skin and pale pink almost white hair. Her silvery blue eyes were focused on something high in the sky above the mausoleum roof she standing on dressed in a white Chinese style blouse and leggings, with flat plimsolls. She whipped out a bow from behind her back and with two fingers drew them back from the arc of the bow, forming a white arrow of pure energy. Without flinching she released the bow, watched it soar into the air and then arc. The camera followed the bow as it arched through the night sky before spearing through a strange floating mist, which howled as its heart was pierced. Without a flicker of emotion, she flipped off the mausoleum and marched off, completely unaware of the camera watching her.

Tala watched surprised. "A true Spirit Hunter?"

"Her gene's are rich in pure energy. She's magick we could never hope to produce."

"So what do you plan to do with her?"

"Harvest her of course. Bring her here and tap into her energy to give it to my boys. My army will be unstoppable."

Tala frowned at the screen as the girl yet again repeated her attack and slayed the spirit. She was true magick, something that hadn't been produced in a lab like he had been. She was more valuable than gold. "Boris, are there anymore like her?"

"If there are, my dear boy, we will merely take them too. We will be invincible and they will have nothing to stop us. We are beyond modern man. We are gods!"

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Well what did you think? Review and tell me and then review Kindred Insanity!! 

REVIEW!!!


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